Perspective
by Lilypad009
Summary: Leo returns from Ogygia alone, trying to lose himself in drinking. When someone unexpected intervenes, they begin to tolerate each other just a bit more. But soon a quest in announced for an extremely powerful item, and it is up to two opposites to retrieve it! On this journey, the two discover that there is more than meets the eye, and must find new sight if they want to survive.
1. Chapter 1

**Greetings! Well, this is my first story I've written, but with a little inspiration from the lovely author FatomPhan33. She gave me the motivation to publish my works, and if you haven't read her stories, then you are missing out on some AMAZING writing, especially if you love Phantom of the Opera. Anyways, this is it! Ahhhhh! *takes a deep breath* Please enjoy this story and please review; I'd love to know what I can do to make anything better! And now, sit back and relax, and enjoy! -Lilypad009**

** Perspective**

** Chapter 1**

Leo Valdez downed another glass of whiskey, not even batting an eye as the strong drink coursed through him. It was a much needed distraction from the pain that now plagued his mind. The drink dulled his senses and made his thoughts less organized, but that was completely welcome. He needed to think of anything besides _Her; her silky hair, lips slightly parted, reddening cheeks… _No! He couldn't focus on that now! He had to do everything to distance himself from the heavy hole in his chest that stung with every breath. So he turned to something that he knew had helped many people forget about life: Alcohol. This wasn't his first time drinking, but this was definitely the most he's had in one sitting. Despite his massive attempt to ignore reality, the pain persisted, along with a pounding head and red-rimmed eyes. _Screw love,_ Leo drunkenly hiccuped in his head.

The bartender shot a concerned glance as the young man wiped his upper lip and slammed the glass on the bar. This particular manager had no problem with underage drinking, but he was worried for the kid; if he didn't pass out soon, he would likely drink himself to death. But the burly barman didn't try to stop him; when he had told the kid to call it quits, the latino turned to him, with fire in his eyes and.. _in his hands? _The tender held up his hands and quietly whispered, "Take it easy, kid. I don't want any trouble." The barman had dealt with demigods of all sorts, and he knew that he needed to calm the pyro-guy before his bar burnt to the ground. The guy took a deep breath before the flames extinguished themselves, and he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Don't tell me that again," he'd croaked, and proceeded to down yet another shot. After another long minute of gasps and hiccups, Leo looked over to the tender again. "Don' call me kid either," his speech slurring, "I'm eighteen, 'lmost nineteen, I cen' handle ma' whiskey." Leo had roughly chuckled before closing his eyes and chugging down the next glass. Now the guy had drank way above the normal limit, and he only now seemed like he was starting to slow down. The man sighed and turned to his other customers, vaguely wondering what could have caused the madman he saw before him.

Meanwhile, Leo continued to drink. In his opinion, the tender wasn't fast enough with his refills. It seemed too long between the shots, and with every second of waiting for the next one there came quick flashes of the past week's events. …

"_Leo?" she'd stuttered, her mouth open in a small 'o', her creamy dress fluttering in the breeze. "Yeah, hey there Sunshine." He'd smiled before holding out his arms. She blushed as he took a few quick strides before capturing her in his embrace. "You've… gotten taller." she murmured as they hugged. His hold tightened. "It's been too long," he breathed into her cinnamon-smelling hair. As soon as he said that, she quickly wriggled out of his arms. "I thought you weren't coming back…" she trailed off. "Hey, when Leo Valdez makes a promise, he always keeps it!" Leo said with a slight laugh as he stepped closer to her. Just as he did, she took a step back. She shifted in her sandals and looked slightly above him. "I didn't think you would come back. Ever. You were gone for good." she muttered accusingly, staring at the clouds above his head. "Calypso, I told you I'd come back for you, and here I am. If you didn't believe me before, well, I understand, but I'm here now," he quickly finished, taking her slender hand. "And that's all that matters." She bit her lip. Overcoming the initial happiness of seeing her again, Leo did a quick evaluation of her behavior: She hadn't expressed how happy she was to see him, she was pale, and the hand that he held was shaking and had gone clammy. Calpyso pulled her cold hand away and tucked her arms underneath herself. "Leo," she whispered, as though she was about to deliver bad news; Leo felt dread coursing through him, what could possibly be wrong? "You shouldn't have come back..."_

The next shot had arrived. It took all of his remaining abilities to focus on the alcohol, and with a quick swipe it was burning down his throat. He replaced the glass a little less carefully than before. "Another," he weakly called. He was starting to feel really light-headed now; hopefully he would pass out soon.

The bartender gave Leo a grim look and took away the shot glass and tossed it into the grimy, overflowing sink. There was a slight *clink* as the well-loved cup sunk beneath the soapy tides. Leo glared at the man through a haze of opiates. "'Ey! I wazzin' finished yet!"

The older man sighed, and looked the younger straight in the eyes. "Look, ki- uh, sir," he fumbled, recovering himself and continuing on, "I have a limit to how much a man drinks, and if you drink anymore, you'll kill yourself. Hell, you might kill yourself from the hangover you're gonna have tomorrow," he chuckled humorlessly, "and the last thing we need here in New Rome is more dead demigods," The man's voice took on a gentler tone, "The war already took it's toll years ago, we don't need another tragedy."

Leo bitterly laughed as his hand began to smoke. _Her_ image swam hazily to the front of his head, and all of his pain came back with a vengeance. "The only tragedy here is women," he rasped brokenly; he hoped he passed out soon. "Women and love, love and women, ain't nothin' but bad luck. Damn 'phrodite is probably laughing at me righ' now! I'll drink all the whiskey I can to fo'get, and I will!" His hand had burst into flames, and Leo balled his fist and began to rave, "Gimme' the drink, man! I wanna fo'get! I wanna fo'get! I wanna die…." he finished in a half-sobbing voice; his flame was out. "I'm a goner… I wanna die…." He continued to mutter as he slowly slid from the counter to the floor. "I wanna die… I wanna die…." The barman was yelling something that Leo couldn't understand as he started to black out.

"I wanna die…. I wanna die…"

The last thing he recalled was a lovely voice calling his name.

**So what did you think happened on Ogygia? Who is the lovely voice? Will Leo remember any of this in the morning? **


	2. Chapter 2

**Salutations! I was so happy with the responses I got to the first chapter, and because one of my reviewers asked, I decided to post the second chapter tonight. I'm still in the process of writing the main part of story though, so expect an update every couple of days. But since this is a night to celebrate, I encourage you to pop some champagne/apple cider and enjoy!**

Chapter 2

Leo vaguely registered that he was breathing. His head was pounding like somebody was playing a game of croquet with a sledgehammer. _So this is how Zeus felt when Athena was born…_ was the first thing Leo thought of when he had regained consciousness. He didn't open his eyes; he doubted he could. Leo gave a slight moan, and a whole new set of throbbing attacked his head. Suddenly, his stomach gave an unhappy lurch, and Leo only registered one thing: _I'm gonna puke._ His eyes weakly opened and he looked around the unfamiliar room. Fortunately, there was a bucket beside his bed. Leo leaned over and emptied his stomach into the bucket; If he'd thought the whiskey burned going down, it was twice as bad coming back up. He weakly wiped his lips after his bout and settled back into the strange bed. He glanced to his right and saw a large glass of water and a couple of Aspirin tablets. Leo gratefully swallowed the pills and sipped the water, only too aware of his delicate state.

But with his returning sobriety, there came a new sense of overwhelming shame.

He'd stumbled into that bar and drank until he nearly died, only to pass out bawling like a two year old! Leo felt his face burn in embarrassment. The bartender had been right in some sense: Leo was still a kid. At least, he was in the way he'd acted last night. But if he was to be fair with himself, he had a good reason to be… after all, it was all Calyp-

_Stop it, _he commanded himself. He couldn't focus on that now; He needed to find out where he was and how he got there. Leo carefully turned his head to take in his surroundings. He was definitely not at his grubby home; it lacked the clutter, random automatons, and the smell of burning oil.

This place was neat, tidy, and smelled of antiseptic. Was he in a hospital? Leo looked over and saw only one other bed that was currently unoccupied. _A hospital_, he concluded, as he threw his head back against the pillow. That was way too much motion for him, because Leo barely had enough time to make it to the bucket before the vile contents of his stomach made it's second appearance. He had only just finished gagging when the door opened and his room was flooded with a bright, burning light.

"Ah! Apago la luz, por favor!" Leo cried as he meekly pulled the cover over his head. It must be a girl who came to check on him, because he heard her give an exasperated sigh and a distinctly feminine voice quietly spoke to him.

"I don't understand spanish, sir." A young girl, then. Leo weakly chuckled before translating.

"Turn off the lights, please." Now it was her turn to chuckle, and she shut the door behind her. Leo winced at the sound of the door, but pulled his cover off just the same. The girl looked to be about thirteen, with long blonde hair and dark, almond shaped eyes. What beautiful eyes. _Just like… NO!_ Leo scrunched up his face and closed his eyes; he had to stop thinking about her! A small gasp pulled him out of his torture and he realised he must have said the last part out loud. "Oops, sorry, I wasn't talking to you." The girl looked at him strangely for a moment before quietly nodding her head. _Great. Now she thinks I'm insane_, Leo thought irritably. He glanced at the timid girl once more before plastering a cocky smile to his face. _Just use the Valdez charm._

"So, my pretty mouse, how did I get to this wonderfully clean place with you?" Just as he predicted, a small pink blush spread over her nose and cheeks as she stuttered to reply. Leo grinned at her embarrassment; he still had it.

"We-Well, you were drunk. And you almost drank too much, b-but luckily you passed out. I mean, not luckily! But, you know," she trailed off. Leo looked at her with waiting brown eyes. The girl took a deep breath "The praetor saw you passing out and brought you here. When I asked why, they gave me specific instructions to care for you, and to be aware of your….flammability." Leo now glanced at his bedding: it was all fire-proof sheets. "Anyway, they left earlier this morning, and told me to tell you that you are officially banned from all bars, liquor stores, and any sort of alcohol until you reach the legal drinking age. Meaning that all of the places that sell… that stuff… know not to give it to you."

Leo gave a weak laugh. It was so like Frank to do this! He really owed him this time, and he'd be sure to let him know his gratitude. "Ah, well, they don't need to worry about me getting drunk again, that sure as hell ain't gonna happen again for a long time." The pounding in his head had reduced, and he felt much better. "Can I get some breakfast now, please?"

After spending most of the day in bed, sleeping off his hangover, picking at the food, and flirting with the shy little maid, Leo felt tremendously better. When he could walk in a straight line, he decided to check out of the hospital. The shy little mouse, who's name was Jane, stopped him before he got completely out.

"Please, sir, the praetor said for you to remain here until they returned."

Leo shrugged her off. "Ah, I can go visit them myself and give them my most humble apologies," he said, giving a ridiculous bow that made Jane giggle. "Besides, I think Praetor Frank is due for a serious upgrade in his home, compliments of the Bad Boy Supreme. What say you, pretty mouse?" He waggled his eyebrows and Jane blushed before recovering from her giggling fit. All of a sudden, her expression turned from amusement to shock.

"You think it was Praetor Frank who helped you?"

"Of course," scoffed Leo, "Who else would help his buddy?"

Young Jane bit her lip before answering. "Reyna."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello there! This next chapter is a bit short, but hopefully a little more insight into what took place on Ogygia will make up for it. Reviews make me smile; I love hearing from you guys! And now, I invite you to relax and enjoy!**

Chapter 3

Leo felt his jaw drop. Reyna? Reyna?! Ms. I-don't-know-how-to-smile had helped _him?_ Leo, of all people. Leo, who she'd made no effort to disguise her annoyance with his ludicrous jokes. Leo, who she'd called an immature child no less than twenty times. She'd helped him. She'd helped Leo. Leo. Leo. Leo.

Speaking of Leo, he turned to Jane before closing his mouth and attempting to swallow in his dry mouth. "Are you- Are you sure it was Reyna?" he hoarsely asked, a small lump building in his throat. Little Jane looked up at him with big, innocent eyes.

"Yes, sir. She helped you in here and gave us all the orders to make sure you would recover. And she asked that you remain here until she returned this evening." Leo glanced at the clock; it was midafternoon.

"I think I'll go pay her a visit," he said carefully, "Give her my thanks. I still think I need to give it looking more presentable, not like an invalid in a hospital." Jane opened her mouth to protest, but Leo gave a weary sigh. "I take all responsibility for disobeying her orders. Now please let me leave."

Jane nodded and stood aside and let him cross the threshold out into New Rome. Leo gave her a quick wink and strode out the door. He decided to stop by his casita and put on some new clothes. His face wrinkled as he smelled vomit on his breath and body. _And maybe a shower wouldn't hurt…_

As Leo walked along the cobblestone path, he reflected on his life thus far. Ever since the war had ended back when he was sixteen, he still didn't have a permanent place to call his own. He and the other seven divided their time between Camp Half-Blood and New Rome, although Leo preferred his beloved camp with it's crazy rock walls and ridiculous campfire songs. But after the war, he'd been consumed by a new project that had infested his thoughts and pervaded his dreams: _Calypso_. Leo sighed; if there was any time to do some thinking, it was now.

Leo remembered his oath after the war, oh he remembered it; it consumed his life. Every fiber of his being had spent days, weeks, months devising the ways to return to his beloved Calypso. He'd pleaded with gods after the war, but they all insisted that Calypso's Curse was too ancient of a magic to be undone now, and the only way to get to her would be to return forever. They'd open it to him one more time, but it would only be when the island felt ready for him. Leo's heart had leapt for joy! Instantly, he began to repair and rebuild the Argo II. He made new adjustments, added new features, and he even added a hot tub. It took him a little over a year working like a mad man to repair all of the brutal war damage. At night, visions of Calypso tormented him; she was always there, beautiful and loving, but she was always just out of his reach. But with his cabin's help and some advice from New Rome's builders, he truly had a beautiful ship to sweep Calypso away with. As the departure grew closer, Leo decided it was time to repay his friends' kindness and support. He spent a good day with each of them, hanging out and having a great time.

When he'd decided to leave, his friends had all been there to see him off. Piper and Hazel wept bitterly, and even Annabeth (who wasn't as fond of Leo), had tears in her eyes. Percy and Frank gave him a quick embrace before comforting their relative girlfriends. Jason looked Leo straight in the eye and gave a quick, "Go get her, dude." before hastily walking away, his shoulders shaking. Leo did his best to remain positive, but when he could no longer see them waving, he'd buried his face in his hands and sobbed. After a while, he'd looked up and started to navigate, using Odysseus' clever tool to scour the ocean. Many lonely months passed at sea, and Leo started to lose hope. Everything had led to a dead end, and _still_ didn't have a clue where Ogygia was! Many nights Leo cried himself to sleep, dreaming of Calypso, his friends, his mother, or his desperate situation.

Everyday on his ship, it was only him and Festus, who creaked and whirred to keep Leo from going completely insane in the silence. Luckily, Leo had enough to do on the ship to keep him fairly busy; from repairing the mast to fixing the hull to swabbing the poop deck. It was the nights that were the worst: In the dark, Leo's imagination was able to fully access all of his subconscious horrors. He could only lie awake in terror and watch for the sun to rise again to end his madness.

Until one day, after just over a year at sea, Festus gave off a particularly loud clank that had Leo running up the stairs and up to the port bow to see a sight that made him dance and cry at the same time. _Ogygia. Calypso…_

Leo stumbled over a loose stone that snapped him back to the present. He cursed in Spanish before dejectedly trudging up to his little casita. He hadn't been there in two years, save yesterday when he'd thrown his provisions into the place before sprinting for the bar. Leo gave to door a gentle push and was surprised to see it swing open. He walked into his little place, the air of neglect hanging over the house like one giant cobweb. Leo glanced at the layer of dust covering everything before picking up one of his bags that held some nicer fresh clothes in it; He didn't want to look like dunce more than he already was, especially not in front of Reyna. He hopped into the shower and gave a yell of surprise when the water jetted onto him in all of it's icy-cold horror. After much swearing that transcended all three languages that Leo spoke, he finally had enough sense to just heat the water himself. It felt good to be clean, really clean, after all of those months at sea.

He may have done too good of a job at heating the water, because the whole room was steamed up. Leo slid out of the water and walked over the mirror that hung near the sink. He wiped off the steam with a towel, and looked at himself with a bit of a shock.

_Calypso was right_, he thought numbly. He had grown from the boy she knew. Leo, for all his childish antics, was now a man. His curly brown hair was slightly longer now, but it hung in such a way that let his dark curls sweep low over his forehead in a very attractive way. He'd lost his baby fat around his face, and because of his months at sea, now had a much more angular face with a slight five o'clock shadow. His once wiry and skinny frame had filled out; all the work on the Argo II and doing every strenuous repair and every heavy-lifting chore on the voyage had helped him gain muscle and broadened his chest; he pleasantly noticed this as he flexed in the mirror, showing off his toned and strong arms. He was in no way nearly as buff as Frank or Jason, but he preferred himself that way. He didn't want to be overly muscular. Some things remained the same, though: He still had slightly pointed ears and impish grin, and his tan skin had become more dark. His eyes were still a deep shade of chocolate brown, but they had lost their young look; they now carried more haunting depths.

Leo stared at himself for a little bit longer before shaking himself from his thoughts. Quickly dressing in something that wasn't too wrinkled, he stepped outside into the pleasant afternoon. He strolled along the path and made his way to Reyna's Villa. Several people stopped and stared at him; one or two even had the audacity to point. Leo kept his eyes forward and didn't pay attention to them; none of them mattered to this. He needed to stay focus on thanking Reyna. In fact, Leo was so focused on ignoring everyone that he came to a sudden halt when he realized he was at Reyna's front door. Pausing for a moment to gather his courage, Leo took a deep breath and raised his hand.

And he knocked twice.

**So what did you think? Was this insight a little more revealing?**

**How will Leo thank Reyna?**

**What do you think her reaction will be?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello again! I shan't keep from you from reading the story now; enjoy!**

Chapter 4

Reyna was deep in thought as she marched up the little path to her Villa. As she and Frank had had their daily meeting, he'd been acting a little differently. He had good reason to: Octavian had been getting on everyone's nerves as he loudly declared there would soon be a grand quest. But as he'd been saying that for the past two months, nobody really took him seriously. Gwen had snapped at Octavian once, declaring that if there was some amazing adventure, it would have happened by now. Octavian had simply stuck his nose in the air and muttered that time was irrelevant, but that the quest was certain.

The day as a whole had been odd for Reyna. Normally, she would wake up and take a long run with her dogs, then shower and head to the principia to meet with Frank. Frank was the best partner she could've asked for: polite, understanding and patient, but strong-willed and determined. And the fact that he'd never broken Reyna's heart didn't hurt either. Reyna often found herself content that Jason had relinquished his praetorship; the Greeks had influenced him and made him almost unrecognizable to Reyna, who'd known him since they were kids. But Frank was refreshing, and she liked his different approach. After a long day, she'd retire to her home and spend the evening poring over old battle plans and reviewing any letters or complaints she'd receive. Finally, after a cup of her "special" hot chocolate (meaning a hot chocolate with at least ten puffy marshmallows), she'd go to bed.

But today, she'd dragged a inebriated Leo through the streets of New Rome (luckily, before the streets were bustling with pedestrians) and to the local medical center. She'd instructed the young girl to look after him and keep him there until she returned. Oh yes, Reyna had a plethora of questions. Like why he was sitting in a bar drinking himself nearly to death at seven in the morning. It was lucky timing, really, that she'd been there to help.

_Reyna jogged through the streets of the village in the early hours, just before everyone started to go about their day. The morning hours were the most peaceful; no screaming Octavian, no angry Romans, no dull senate meetings. But something had caught her attention: there seemed to be a fire in the local pub. Reyna stopped her run and stared as it became clear that someone had lit a fire. Reyna sprinted toward the bar and burst through the door, just in time to see a tall Latino man ranting at the barman, who looked terrified. The darker man turned and started to slide down the stool, and Reyna let out a gasp of recognition; That couldn't be Leo Valdez?! He'd left over a year ago to join his lover and never return! And yet here he was, moaning on the floor as he started to black out. She barely caught what he was saying: "I wanna die...I wanna die…" Reyna lost her breath for a moment before yelling "Leo!" He turned her way for a moment with a slight smile before completely slumping to the floor. Reyna ran over to him and shook his shoulders. "Leo! Leo! Wake up!" She quickly turned to horrified tender. "How many drinks has he had?" she demanded. "Too many," the man murmured, looking down. Reyna was horrified; This was Leo the flaming war hero, he couldn't just die! What would her friends say if they knew of it? She glanced down at the dark man once more before shouldering his tall frame. He'd definitely filled out more; his body was heavy and hard with muscle. Luckily, Reyna was a strong woman, and with a little help from Dakotah, who happened to be at the bar too, she was able to drag Leo to the local clinic. After ascertaining that he was well cared for, Reyna turned to the girl. "Don't let him leave here, I need to interrogate him, and he cannot be allowed to freely wander. Understood?" The small girl nodded quickly, and Reyna allowed herself to go home and take a long, hot shower. As she soaked, she pondered what could have possibly dragged Leo away from Ogygia. He'd raved about it for a year before he left, and everyone assumed he had gone to be with- what was her name? It sounded like Caribbean music. Reyna dressed and dried her hair, and walked to the principia purposefully, intending to talk to Frank. But when she got there, Octavian commanded the room instantly, and she lost her thought as he droned on and on._

Reyna reviewed the days events in her head once more before she went to change into more casual clothes; Tonight, four of the six were returning to stay in New Rome for a while, and she wanted them to have a nice time in her city. She planned to do something with each of them, save Jason and Piper, and was thinking over what she needed to do when she bumped into a wall.

A tall, dark, brick wall in front of her door.

Leo fell forward in shock and slammed his head into the front door. Muttering a few choice words, he turned around to see a very shocked Reyna sprawled out on the ground in front of her home. Leo had to choke back a laugh; she looked hilarious! Her armor had dipped to one side, and her usually immaculate braid was askew and frizzy. But the second he looked in to her eyes and saw the anger, he promptly assumed the proper expression of visiting a sick friend.

"Ah, geez! Sorry Reyna, I didn't see you there!" he said, as he held out a hand to her. As he expected, she didn't accept, and instead glared at him before standing up on her own.

"Valdez! What are you doing here?" Reyna said angrily; he was supposed to be in hospital! _That idiot girl…_ Reyna snarled in her head. "You're supposed to be at the clinic, why did you leave?"

Leo shrugged. This wasn't going as well as he'd hoped. "I felt like leaving, and coming to thank the person who saved my sorry a- butt." He quickly changed at her expression. "Besides, I think I deserve a bit of an explanation as to why you did it."

Reyna blinked. "You deserve nothing," she coldly stated. "I was stopping you from burning my city to the ground _again_." Leo winced at the memory. "If anything, we- meaning the Six and I- deserve an explanation as to why you are here."

Leo raised an eyebrow. "The Six?"

Reyna raised her own defiant eyebrow. "It used to be the Seven, until one of them left on a voyage, never to return." At this, Leo looked down at his shoes. He kicked a pebble and muttered something about "not working out". Reyna's icy stance softened. She was all too familiar with heartbreak, and she could see the evidence of it: sad eyes, a distant stare, and his hair was slightly smoking. Reyna took the awkward silence as a chance to glance at her watch. She sighed; she was going to be late.

Looking up at Leo again, she felt a surge of pity. Something awful must have happened to make him leave his dream girl. She wondered…. No. Reyna decided that it was not her business; he would tell her if he wanted too.

"Well, Valdez," she started, Leo looked up with a jolt as if remembering she was there, "If you'll excuse me, I have to go to my home now." Leo quietly moved aside. Now Reyna stared. He most certainly had grown up; and judging from the sadness in his eyes, it was not a pretty path. Pushing her concerns aside, Reyna walked up to her front door. The jingle of the keys seemed to snap Leo out of it.

"Wait! Reyna, please!"

Reyna whirled around, her braid flying. "What?" Leo took a deep breath before stepping forward.

"I wanted to thank you for what you did. I might've killed myself if you hadn't stepped in. So.. thanks. And uh, yeah. So I decided to make it up to you! Do you need any repairs around your house? Or perhaps some super cool upgrades?" he waggled his eyebrows; his bravado was back. Reyna opened her front door and walked inside.

"No. There is no thanks necessary." She could've sworn his ears literally drooped. Reyna felt a little unsteady, and a sudden urge to make him feel better made her open her mouth a second time. "However, there is a celebration tonight." Leo looked up suddenly, was she asking him to… "And your friends will be there. Four of them will be arriving, since Hazel and Frank are already here. It's a little party to once again celebrate peace between the camps." Her mouth twisted into a less harsh line, almost like a small smile. "I'm sure they'd love to see you again."

Leo exhaled; not what he thought, but he was no less happy. He hitched a smile back onto his face. "I'd love to go!". But then the idea of the date reoccurred to him; "Do you need a handsome date to this event?" He gave a brilliant smile and held out a hand.

Reyna stared coldly at him. "First off, I've got that covered." Leo's hand fell to his side. "Secondly, something bad happened on Ogygia, and I can see how badly it hurt you." Leo's hand hung limply down. "And I am _no one's _rebound. That'll be all, Valdez."

Leo looked a little hurt for a moment, opening his mouth to apologize as the door slammed shut in his face.

**Aw, poor Leo! He does really have some trouble with the ladies! But now I urge the readers to review, and please tell me what you think; I love hearing from you guys, it means more than you know :)**

**So what did you think of it? Leo's revelation? Reyna's intervention? Leo's offer? Her rejection?**

**Lilypad009**


	5. Chapter 5

**'Ello! So with out further adieu, here is the next chapter!**

Chapter 5

Leo stared at Reyna's front door for at least another five minutes. He was numb with shock, sadness, and a little bit of anger. _She read me like a book… is it that obvious? _Leo questioned himself as he turned and began to stumble away from the house. He shoved his hands in his pockets; he'd never mean to hurt her. He just wanted to repay her for helping him; they both knew that they'd never _actually_ date. But her remark stung… _I am no one's rebound…_ So she saw that he was heartbroken, and instead of realizing that he was trying to thank her, she assumed he was just trying to get over Calypso. He shuddered. He'd never _ever_ hurt a girl like that, but she had thought he would. He would have to apologize again, and make his intentions clear. Hopefully, that would extend his life a few months.

But then another sentence rang through his head… _I've already got that covered… _meaning that she already had a date. _I shouldn't be that surprised, _Leo mused. Reyna had also grown up; the brash girl had grown into an intimidating and beautiful woman. Long dark hair that was always braided down her back, ,slightly tan skin that highlighted her Puerto Rican roots, and two deep set obsidian eyes, two dark jewels that could read men like a book. Yes, Reyna was definitely beautiful. Fiercely gorgeous and very powerful, a great combination. It was amazing the boys hadn't come flocking earlier. It seemed like it had to be a very special guy to capture her heart. Whoever it was, Leo hoped that Reyna was happy with them. After Jason and Percy, her heart deserved a break.

Leo meandered into New Rome again before arriving at a small coffee shop. He quickly paid for a lemonade and sat down in a booth to drink it. The citrus was refreshing, and cleared Leo's head a little. Suddenly, the door jingled again, and he heard two familiar laughs: Hazel and Frank! Leo quickly peeped his head over the seat; Yes, his old crush and her boyfriend ordered a sundae and sat down to eat it together. Leo pondered revealing himself, but decided against it. A mischievous smile slid across his face. He wanted to surprise them, and everyone. Leo Valdez had returned. Leo felt himself fall into a long-forgotten prank-planning state, and he slowly sipped his lemonade as all the little details fell into place. He was a master planner, and it gave him something to think about besides… well, you know.

Leo smiled even wider. Oh yes, they would never expect this.

Reyna stepped out of the shower in a light curtain of steam. Wrapping a towel around herself, she started to comb out her long, dark locks. As she brushed, her mind drifted to her encounter with Leo. How dare he! It was obvious to her that she was just a rebound to him. He had the audacity to ask her out right after getting his own heart broken, and she felt a new sense of relief in saying no. If that was the kind of guy that Leo Valdez was, then she didn't want to be his date _ever._ She now wondered if it was _his _fault that he somehow returned because things "didn't work out".

Reyna looked once again at her watch and cursed. _Stop thinking! You need to be somewhere! _she thought to herself as she quickly dressed in a dark purple dress that came to just above her knees. She quickly arranged her hair into a more fashionable braid and pinned any loose locks in place. The Venus girls had been much nicer to her since she met Victor, and they even gave her some makeup and hair tips, something that was considered a sacred sisterhood secret in the realm of Venus. Reyna felt herself smile as she thought back to the day she first met Victor, her eyes glazing over as she felt her stomach jump. Victor….

_About two months after Leo had left on his journey, Reyna reclined on her porch with Hazel and watched the various Romans meander around in the city. Hazel took a small sip of her drink and turned to Reyna. "Hey, Reyna?" "Mmm?" had been the response, Reyna felt really relaxed for the first time in years. "I've noticed you, haven't really been dating anyone." Reyna opened her eyes, her peace gone. Not this again. "And I know it's not really my business-" "It's not." Reyna cut her off. Hazel bit her lip to keep herself from retaliating. "But there's this new guy in Rome, Victor? Son of Ceres? He's been watching you a lot recently, and I think he likes you." Reyna snorted. Really, since when did Hazel enjoy setting up people; must be Piper's influence. "So, please don't be mad at me, but I kind of set you up on a date with him." Reyna jumped up and gave Hazel a glare that would scare Hades. "You. Did. WHAT?!" Hazel winced before starting to beg, "Please, just give it a chance, I only want to see you happy! I'll help you with everything!" Reyna looked over to tell her no, only to see a pair of pleading golden eyes. Reyna hesitated' it would be like taking a kid's candy if she said no. Surely one meaningless date couldn't be too bad. "Alright," Reyna sighed. "You win." Hazel smiled and instantly jumped up and gave her a hug; Reyna now doubted that this was her shy and meek companion. "Were you replaced by a Venus girl?" asked Reyna as she pressed her hand to Hazel's forehead. "Not sick either," she mumbled. Hazel laughed before shoving Reyna away. "Just call it a friendly favor." "Yeah yeah," Reyna had muttered._

_The night of the date, Annabeth, Piper, and Hazel had all arrived at her villa. Reyna felt a little stab of resentment when Piper entered, but she quickly pushed it aside. It was all water under the bridge now. Besides, this was her night, she should enjoy it. All three girls smiled and laughed throughout the whole makeover, helping her slip into a creamy chiffon dress with matching high heels. Piper used some of her beauty skill to fix Reyna's hair in a different style than normal; rather than a braid, her hair fell loosely down her back while being pinned away from her face. Finally, Hazel had placed a single lavender-colored rose in Reyna's hair before they turned her around to face her mirror. _

_To say she was stunned wouldn't even cover it. What stood before her was a beautiful Puerto Rican woman, with large, entrancing dark eyes framed by long eyelashes and hair that fell in a cascade of ringlets down her back. Somehow, these three had not covered anything with makeup, but enhanced everything! Reyna felt slightly more confident as she bid them goodbye and made her way down to the small restaurant on the edge of the city. _

_Feeling a little more exposed than usual, Reyna walked quickly through the night, getting more and more nervous with each stride. Finally, she came to halt outside of the place. She turned around, in hopes of finding some escape, when a male voice interrupted her thoughts, "Reyna?" She whirled around, and was pleasantly surprised to say the least. Victor was almost her height, but then again, she was wearing heels. He had a charming face and his hazel eyes lit up when they saw her. He ran a hand through his thick auburn hair, looking a little nervous. Reyna felt her stomach do a little dance; so she wasn't the only one! Somehow, it made him seem all the more charming. He held a single pink rose in his hand. He walked toward her, his eyes never leaving her own. "You look beautiful tonight." She blushed at the compliment and accepted the rose. He held out his arm to her, and she slipped her own through his, and so began a nine month relationship with a wonderful man…._

Reyna was shaken from her thoughts with a light knock outside of her door. Gathering herself, she strode over to the door and smiled as Victor came through the door. Greeting her with a light kiss, he promptly offered her his arm. "You look beautiful tonight." Reyna smiled slightly at the old-fashioned yet treasured statement. "Shall we?" She nodded and accepted the arm, and they walked down to the party. A comfortable silence enveloped them, and Reyna felt her mind wandering to a certain Son of Vul -Hephaestus. She thought of all the things that tonight could mean, what with Leo revealing himself and all. Knowing Leo, though, it wouldn't be simple. She wondered what he could possibly have in store for the night.

**Ahaha, what will Leo do? Any guesses? And what do you think of Victor! I promise, he's very important in this story and in Reyna's heart, not some little throw-away. Oh yes, he has a very important part *laughs evilly*. Wait and see, my lovely readers, but until then, please review!**

**Lilypad009**


	6. Chapter 6

**Wazzup my good people? Let's take a glimpse at what Leo's got in store for us, as well as a couple of other little interesting tidbits. Enjoy!**

Chapter 6

Leo finished rigging the final little trap just before the crew arrived to set up the party; Frank and Hazel were among them. Leo quickly slipped into the rafters above the large venue; He was lucky that his last little surprise was hidden up there, otherwise the fun would have been spoiled. He gave a low chuckle as he stretched out his long legs. The large open space was partly covered by a large wooden covering that shielded a raised platform, almost like a stage. This would be _his _stage soon enough. Even now, he watched the crew members bring up a long table of honor for all of the guests and people of importance. He smirked. Hopefully they had just one more chair.

This was going to be a night to remember, he'd made sure of that. Now all he had to was wait. Unfortunately, now that he was done building, his mind was able to focus on the source of his hurt. Leo felt himself sink a little lower under the emotional strain. With his earlier distraction of rigging up some amazing stunts, he hadn't been able to focus on Calypso. But now as he sat with nothing to distract himself, he found himself mentally replaying all the devastating events. Leo hesitated in the memory for a minute, before reclining against the wooden beams and allowed himself to think of Ogygia. _Maybe thinking about it would help to figure it out…._

_Leo sailed his ship into the crystal clear water. He was shaking all over, partly from his ADHD, and partly from the emotions that were surging through him. Elation, love, and excitement all rushed together in a chorus of longing and relief. He was here, and he would remain here with the love of his life forever, oblivious to the garish problems of the world and lost in love. Festus gave a slight creak, signaling that the anchor had been lowered. Not even glancing at the travel boat, Leo grabbed hold of the anchor chain, hot from the sun, and swung out over the white sandy beach. He released the burning metal and fell for a moment before plunging into an ankle-deep section of the beach. Landing lightly, Leo quickly sloshed out of the water and onto the white sand. He ran until he hit the pavement of her cobblestone walk. Close by, he heard her bright laugh, which stopped him. A warmth grew in his chest as he gathered himself, then slowly walked turned the corner to where her musical laugh had sounded from._

_There she stood, in all of her shining, beautiful glory, her hand in the air, and she gave a small, contented sigh. Leo felt his heart race as he took a step forward and gave a small "Hey." Calypso whirled around, and he smiled so widely he thought his face would snap in half. Her face was tinted with a slight blush, and her mouth was still slightly opened. Leo felt his heart soar at the sight of her before him, and he gave a small shrug and whispered, "Surprise!"_

A large resounding crash shook Leo from his thoughts. One of the decorations had fallen over, and a small girl quickly scurried over to right it. Leo sighed. At least it hadn't hit any of his projects. The girl was slightly shaken, and Leo felt a twinge of pity; the poor thing was scared speechless. But he noticed her attention was not on the object, but on another person. Sure enough,Octavian entered the room, his pallid face tinged with anger. "What was the horrific noise?"

_Oh you know, just a scary cardboard decoration. _Leo thought savagely. He would never fully forgive Octavian for his cowardice during Gaea's final assault. _The sallow boy had fought well during most of the battle, but finally turned, and allowed a poor Greek boy to be killed by a giant's club. Octavian could've easily defended the son of Hermes, and simply had to shove him out of the way with plenty of time to react. But he chose to literally step back and let him be murdered. Leo had seen it all, and the fire that was raging around him had grown twice as large and increased it's searing heat tenfold. Leo's anger consumed the enemies around him, and any allies were quick to move out of the dangerous path. The giant who had delivered the deadly blow was reduced to nothing more than a large pile of ashes that was quickly blown away by the wind. Leo was the center of the hellish inferno, descending on Octavian with a dangerous glow in his eyes. "You killed him." he had whispered in a deadly tone. Octavian's eyes had gone wide with fear, and Leo gave a twisted smile; This would be for the boy. "Perhaps something to remember him by, then. Something so you'll never forget." Unfortunately for him, a giant's roar had shattered his concentration, and Octavian was scrambling away. Leo had cursed and continued to battle. But after the battle, he was sure to teach Octavian a permanent lesson…_

Leo gave a slight shudder at the memory of the duel afterward. Reyna had allowed it; she was so disgusted with the un-Roman behavior that she allowed Leo to give a punishment that he saw fit. The duel had been fierce, but in the end, Leo's vengeful heat was simply too much. The final blow sealed Octavian's fate, and Leo thought his chosen infliction was well deserved. Leo was no cold-blooded sadist; it had pained him to act in such a way. But it was justice for the young boy, and Leo felt a smug satisfaction as he saw the long, snake-like burn that trailed up Octavian's arm.

Octavian had finished his tirade, and stormed out to go welcome the "ungrateful _graceus"._ Leo felt his stomach jump; this was it! He watched as the auditorium slowly filled with the Romans, but he smiled when he saw a few orange shirts in the mix. Suddenly, all of them were applauding, and in walked the Six.

Leo felt his smile widen and his eyes brightened: his friends! The ones who had risked life and limb for each other! His family! His wonderful, wonderful friends! Leo was so overcome by emotions that he felt a tear slip down his cheek. Quickly wiping it away, he crouched further in the shadows, knowing that they would be reunited soon. He eagerly observed his friends walk down the center, and saw his family for the first time in over a year.

Percy and Annabeth were still together, looking like adults. Percy carried himself with an air of bravado, and Annabeth seemed to feed off it. They both gave a dazzling smile; the perfect picture of two amazing heroes. However, Leo caught the glint of a ring on Annabeth's finger, and raised an eyebrow. Did she and Percy…. Suddenly Hazel and Frank came into view, Hazel was only slightly taller now, but still held a younger face and slender figure while Frank towered over her. Any remaining baby fat that Frank had was long gone, and he now truly looked the part of a Son of Mars, even sporting a brand new scar on his right temple that trailed down to mid-cheek. Finally, he saw his two best friends in the world, Jason and Piper. Piper had somehow gotten even more beautiful; her matured body stunned and awed most guys in the room. Jason seemed more buff and handsome from when they last parted, his dress shirt tighter on his muscular figure. They still held hands, but their eyes seemed sad. Leo hoped he could soon remedy that.

As the Six approached the table, they stopped just before mounting the platform. Leo waited with baited breath for what would happen next. To his surprise, all of them kneeled, save Frank, who walked up the small flight of stairs to the stage. The room quieted. Then, through the lights, came Reyna.

Leo felt his breath leave him. _My gods she's gorgeous_. Reyna walked confidently forward in a dark purple dress that accentuated her glorious curves, and fell just short enough to see her long, toned legs. Her hair was draped over her shoulder in an elaborate braid that fell to her waist, and whatever little makeup she wore made her large, obsidian eyes seem large and beautiful in every way. Reyna proudly strode forward, accompanied by an averagely sized man with reddish-brown hair. Leo raised an eyebrow; this wasn't nearly the superman he'd thought that Reyna would be with. _Maybe she grew out of that type..._ Good. Based on Percy and Jason, those type of guys wouldn't appreciate her anyway. This current one seemed nice enough; the man gave Reyna's hand a squeeze before she ascended the steps.

As Reyna walked up, Leo knew his time was about to come. She knew he was here, and no doubt she knew he'd planned something. In fact, he could see her eyes wander amongst the crowd, searching for him. Leo gave a devilish grin. Let her try and find him, she would never guess his hiding spot. Reyna finished her search and began to address the crowd, talking of the War of Gaea, and how the bloody battles brought the two camps together. For two years now, they continued to remain united and strong, with less incidents than ever before. Reyna finished up by congratulating the Six, the war heroes who fulfilled the prophecy and ended Gaea's brutal assault, condemning her to sleep for another millenium. The crowd roared in approval, but the six heroes remained kneeling. Frank raised his hand, and the people instantly quieted. Frank cleared his throat, and began to speak.

"A year, a month, and three days ago, the Seven of the Prophecy became the Six. Our dear friend Leo Valdez, Son of Hephaestus, decided to join his love, the goddess Calypso, on her home island to break her curse and to live with her for all eternity." Leo felt his throat close up; had they done this at the Greek celebration too? "Although he is gone from us now, we know he is happy and loved, something that no one deserves more than Leo. But we do this so that we may never forget him; Leo Valdez was one of the Seven, if not the most important one. Without his mechanical genius, we would have been nowhere. For his valor, wit, and skill, we remember Leo Valdez." There was a silence that hung in the air after Frank's touching speech. Until a jaunty voice spoke out of the sky.

"Well done, Frank Zhang. I'm glad you don't want to leave me in Croatia any longer."

**Cliffhanger! dun Dun DUN! *Please don't kill me, the reunion will come soon enough* Please review in the mean time, and there shall be more to come!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Excellent work to my wonderful reviewer MailMySelfToYou, who discovered Victor's identity outside of this story. If anyone else can as well, it will be a wonderful day indeed :) And now enjoy!**

Chapter 7

Everyone's head shot up in alarm, a couple girls in the audience even gave small screams of fright. Leo gave his trademark impish smile before pressing a button in his hand, _Let it begin._ There was a small bang from the corner of the stage, and confetti rained from the sky. Brass trumpets began to blare, and there came another loud noise, a large banner unrolled from the top of the stage and landed about a third of the way down. The words on the banner just became visible as they blinked into existence. _And now the finale. _He pressed the button a second time, and an automated recording of his voice began to play as the words on screen flashed and moved. "LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, DID YOU REALLY THINK THAT YOU COULD STOP THE ULTIMATE SUPER-SIZED MCSHIZZLE MAN, THE BAD BOY SUPREME, FROM COMING TO THIS TOTALLY AWESOME PARTY! MAY I PRESENT TO YOU, THE ONE, THE ONLY…" The trumpets reached their crescendo, and Leo leaped from the rafters and landed on the floor just in front of the two praetors. "LEO VALDEZ!" Another round of confetti popped as Leo stood up to his full height, a satisfied smirk on his face.

As the last of the music faded out, everyone was frozen in pure shock, save Reyna. She rolled her eyes and remarked, " You always knew how to make an entrance, Valdez." Leo grinned widely at her before he turned to face his friends. The satisfied smirk gave way to a genuine, emotional smile.

Leo felt his eyes shining when he said in a low, strained voice, "Hey guys, what's up?"

All of the Six remained frozen where they kneeled/stood. Leo gave a slight laugh, hoping to ease the tension of the silent room and suppress his own rising emotions. "Did you miss me?"

All of a sudden, Piper was on her feet, speaking in a trembling voice, "Did we MISS you? Is that really all you have to say?" Leo felt the grin slide off his face. He prepared himself for the worst. Suddenly, he felt himself flying backwards as Piper launched herself at him and tackled him in a fierce embrace. "My gods, Leo, why… why.. you're such an idiot!" she blubbered into his shirt, her hold tightening. Leo reciprocated and ran his hand through her choppy hair, making soothing and reassuring noises. Hazel was also crying, but she was curled under Frank's arm, and Annabeth clung onto Percy for support. Jason quickly scooped up both Piper and Leo and held them close, saying nothing. But no words needed to be said to embrace the beauty of the moment, nor could words describe the intense feeling of happiness and love that surrounded the trio. There were no dry eyes.

Finally, a misty-looking Reyna cleared her throat. Leo looked up, and untangled himself. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Heh, sorry about this. I didn't mean to make a scene."

Reyna rolled her eyes and gave a slight smile. "Knowing you, Valdez, there's no way it _couldn't_ make a scene." Leo chuckled; so the ice queen did have a sense of humor.

Piper's head shot up. "You-You knew about this? About _him?_" There was a new venom in her tone that Leo was not used to. Reyna seemed momentarily taken aback, but her face reverted back to an expression of polite indifference.

"I did not know until this morning. It's quite an interesting story; I'm sure Leo would love to recount it." Instantly, everyone looked to Leo, eyes wide with curiosity. Leo turned a little pale and gave a sheepish grin.

"Heh, yeah…" he trailed off, pulling at his collar slightly. Piper narrowed her eyes. She turned to Reyna with deliberate frigidity, opened her mouth to tell the praetor exactly what she thought of Reyna's dictation, when Hazel gave a little gasp.

"Leo! You've gotten… so… tall…" she finished a little breathlessly. Leo been helped up, and standing at his full height, was shortest only to Jason. Reyna analyzed Leo quickly and determined why Hazel had gasped so: Leo was wearing a dress shirt and suspenders, tight enough to show his strong shoulders and chest. Long black slacks truly showed exactly how long Leo's legs were, and his face had lost his boyhood and become that of a man; a very attractive Mexican man. Reyna chuckled. Leave it to Hazel to swoon to a new Leo. Although, she wasn't the only one. Several girls in the audience were whispering and fanning themselves; Leo was completely oblivious.

Frank noticed Hazel's little stutter though, and quickly slipped his arm around her shoulders, a frown upon his face. Leo gave his own laugh before quickly holding out his hand, "Frank, man, how's it going!" Frank extended his own arm and quickly shook it at let go. " And Percy! Wazzup?" Percy gave his own laugh before embracing Leo.

Reyna looked out at the ever-whispering crowd. "Continue as usual, please be seated for the dinner." The people began to trudge to their seats, and Reyna looked back on the Si- Seven. "As sweet as this is, we do have a banquet to eat. Please take your seats so we may begin." Piper frowned. Leo smiled and gave a ridiculous bow.

"Of course, _reina_. May I escort these two lovely ladies to their seats?" he said, holding out an arm to Piper and Hazel. Both accepted, and with many giggles, allowed themselves to be lead to their seats. Frank gave a huff of annoyance, and Jason good-naturedly slapped him on the back. Both men, however, quickly sat between their girlfriends and Leo. So Leo found himself sitting by Reyna and her date, of whom he had yet to meet. Jason was also to the other side of him, but he was so busy staring at Piper that Leo decided he was a lost cause.

Leo turned to find Reyna and her date silently eating. _How fitting, she likes the silent type._ Obviously, he would have to be the entertainment tonight. Leo cleared his throat comically, and both turned to stare at him. "So, I've already had the pleasure of meeting Reyna. But I don't know your name? Is it, perhaps, Ginger?", glancing at his reddish hair. Jason, who had been vaguely listening, choked on his food slightly. Reyna sent him a death glare, and Jason had the decency to mutter something about "going down the wrong pipe."

Victor gave a good-natured laugh. "Not quite, Velasquez. My name is Victor. Victor Sage, son of Ceres."

Leo pretended to think. "Ceres, ceres, ah! Demeter to a _graceus_ like me." Reyna frowned at his comical use of the derogatory term. Victor, however, chuckled slightly. "The name is Valdez, by the way. So do you have any magical plant powers? We had a girl by the name of Katie Gardner who could grow strawberries from thin air. And all sorts of plants. She's with a guy named Stoll now, son of Hermes, go figure eh? I suppose that would be, uh, Mercury to you, right?" Leo finally drew breath.

Victor blinked. "Uh… Sorry, I can control plants, never heard of the girl, go figure, and yes it's Mercury." he repeated, amazed that one person could talk so fast. Leo gave a loud guffaw before turning to Jason, who was barely holding back his own laughter. Leo nudged Jason with his elbow.

"Care to give us a demonstration?" Victor shook his head rapidly, as though he abhorred using his powers. Leo smiled slightly, one side of his face lifting higher than the other. "Well, then I suppose the fun is all left to me." Leo opened his palm and let a little spark of fire dance across his palm. The tiny flame whirled and spun gracefully, completely under control. The fire appeared to be dancing to imaginary music; it was mesmerizing. Leo closed his hand and the brief light extinguished. Victor, Jason, and Reyna had been watching so intently that they had to shake their heads to clear their thoughts.

"Very impressive, Valdez. It seems like you have your powers under control now." complimented Reyna. Leo gave a dashing grin and simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Maybe I'll start my own show someday." Jason snorted into his pudding. Leo took advantage of Jason's proximity with said pudding and ever-so-sneakily… shoved his face into the bowl.

The table erupted in laughter as Jason emerged, dripping with little bits of the desert hanging off his nose. Reyna was smothering her giggles with a napkin, and Victor was attempting to stifle his own laughter. Piper smiled before swabbing a bit off of his face before tasting it. "I always knew you were tasty." she said straight-faced. Now everyone was howling, Percy had thrown his head back with laughter, Hazel was fanning herself while giggling, and Leo was holding his sides from laughing too much, trying to hold back tears.

Jason swiped at his face with a napkin, and threw the used cloth in Leo's face. "Good to have you back, Valdez."

Leo gave a roguish grin. Suddenly, people were moving table and a dance floor was set up. As music blared from Zeus-knows-where, everyone converged onto the lit-up dance floor. Several girls were attempting to make their way over to Leo, but Leo quickly turned to Reyna and asked to dance. Reyna raised an eyebrow, and Victor looked sternly at Leo. Leo rolled his eyes before whispering in Reyna's ear, "We need to talk about today."

**Sooooo did you like it? I promise we will get some more Leyna action soon, as well as a bit of a surprise!**

**Please review and leave some words, 'cuz I love some nice words...**


	8. Chapter 8

**Was' good my homeskillets? For those of you that caught my dash of Tratie, good for you! Have a cookie!**

**Some of you expressed a little concern about not finishing this story; I assure you, I will finish the story! It's just going to take some time, even with updating as often as I do! **

**And since I can't PM you individually, thanks to all my guest reviewers! You guys are awesome!**

**And now please sit back, relax, and indulge in a bit of Leyna. Enjoy!**

Chapter 8

Reyna gave a small exasperated sigh and stood up, kissing a now stone-faced Victor on the cheek before allowing herself to be led away. Leo took her slender hand in his and turned to face her, putting his hand on her waist as she slipped her own onto his chest. Reyna hadn't really noticed it before, but even with the heels that she was wearing, Leo was at least a head taller than her. She found herself enjoying her hand on his hard chest more than she should, and she felt her heart start to pound as the hand on her waist tightened slightly. Looking upwards, she found his intent gaze on her, and felt an unknown flutter in her chest.

Leo was in his own personal hell. This beautiful woman before him was making his body react in ways he hadn't thought possible. He was still pining for Calypso, but Reyna was so different, so new. Her normally abrasive nature made her seem larger, but now that he held her, she was pleasantly smaller than him. Her hand on his chest burned him through his shirt, and his hand on her waist wanted to keep roaming the expanse of her lovely body. Every nerve in his body was on fire, but why? Leo found himself staring at Reyna as he pondered why this torture had suddenly descended on him. It must be the lonely months at sea, then Calypso's rejection. Yes, that's it. He was just deprived of human contact for so long, and this gorgeous lady was simply too much to handle all at once. That's it.

Suddenly, she looked up at him and he almost jumped; he'd forgot that he was looking at her. Leo cleared his throat. "Look, Reyna, about today…" Her dark eyes were questioning, and he felt their intoxicating pull. Leo took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to reign in his hormones. "I never meant to offend you. When I asked you out, I was only trying to be nice; to repay you for helping me, not to actually date you. Not that I wouldn't want to! I mean…" Leo had quickly amended when she raised her eyebrow. Reyna gave a slight smile.

"It's not your fault, Valdez. I understand where you're coming from. I just wanted to be clear about it." Leo flashed a brilliant and sincere smile that made Reyna's heart race. What was up with her tonight? It must be the abundance of sugar in the pudding. Not that Reyna was complaining; as a matter of fact, she had a huge sweet tooth and had considered adding jelly beans to the pudding. But blaming her emotions on the innocent dessert seemed like the best option, especially when Leo's eyes were swimming with unthought of emotions. Reyna cursed in her head as she felt herself blush.

Leo felt his vision turn hazy as the world sharpened and became more focused on Reyna. The slight blush creeping up her face made him blush as well and his pulse quicken as they both swayed in an awkward silence, feeling the other's body and darkening their blushes until the song ended. When the last bits of the music mercifully faded, they quickly dropped their arms and stepped apart. Reyna looked up into Leo's eyes and saw his own deep blush, and then, a reason to laugh. "Leo, your hair is on fire."

Leo laughed slightly, and quickly patted out his hair. "Guess I'm not completely in control." he said lightly. Just as he said that, a sweet-faced brunette gave a tug on Leo's arm. Leo looked down to see little Jane from the hospital. "Ah, my dear mouse. I think I owe you a dance, pretty one." Jane giggled slightly and Reyna waved Leo off. Feeling light-headed, Reyna walked over to a table and took a quick sip of the punch to calm herself. Really, why was she freaking out?

"There you are," a pleasant voice spoke in her ear. Reyna jumped, and Victor laughed and took her into his arms. Reyna felt herself growing more at ease in Victor's embrace; she wasn't a stuttering, blushing mess in his arms. She was Reyna, the calm and confident Praetor. Victor smiled as she relaxed in his arms. "I was beginning to think Velasquez stole you." Reyna gave a light laugh.

"Oh, no. He was just being nice, what after saving his butt and all." Victor smiled before giving her hand a squeeze and leading her onto the dance floor. Reyna felt the gentle pressure of his hand on her hip, and without meaning to, compared his dance to Leo's. Whereas Leo was towering over her, Reyna was almost as tall as Victor in her heels. While Leo's hand had slightly caressed her, Victor's was feather-light, almost as if he didn't want to touch her. Reyna scoffed at her thoughts. That was absurd; of course Victor wanted to touch her. He kissed her many times, hadn't he? No, she was just being silly. Victor was just very gentle, and more aware of her dislike of being touched.

"Is everything alright?" Victor had noticed that while they had danced, her eyes were glazed over and there was a slight pout on her face. His muscles stiffened as he thought of what that Velasquez had said to her to make her act this way. If that punk so much as even tried to make a move on _his_ girl…

Reyna noticed Victor's sudden tenseness, and she leveled her eyes with his, bringing a hand up to his cheek. His expression softened at her touch, and Reyna felt herself give a small smile. He was always so sweet around her. "Nothing is wrong, Victor." He smiled when she said his name. "Valdez just gave me some clarification on this morning's events." Victor leaned forward slightly and met her lips in a tender kiss. Reyna gently pressed back before removing them slowly. A light pink coloring had spread through her cheeks.

Victor exhaled before holding Reyna closer. "I- I just don't trust that guy…" Reyna looked at him in slight shock. Was he really jealous? She quickly thought back to the dance she and Leo had shared, and if the feelings she'd been having had shown, and if Victor was watching them…

Reyna quickly drew herself more into Victor's arms, kissing his cheek and whispering in his ear, "Why don't we get out of here? Just the two of us?" Victor kissed her before taking her hand and leading her off of the dance floor and out into the night.

Little did they know, there were a pair of dark brown eyes that watched them exit.

**Oooh, drama! But there shall be more to come! *laughs maniacally* Oh, there will be plenty more to come!**

**But now, my dear readers, I offer you a choice: Some of you request I update more often since my chapters are pretty short. The reasoning behind that is then I can update more often and also to write more chapters when I can. So this is my offer: Would you rather have longer chapters but less often updates (Like once or twice a week?) or continue with the length they are now and keep updating every couple of days?**

**Please review, and until next time my darlings.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hola! So since you guys requested, I will post longer chapters than I have before, but it will take a little bit longer than usual: I'll try to update once or twice a week. But enough talk! Let's dive in once more to find out what other interesting events happened that night... Enjoy!**

Chapter 9

After the dance with Jane, Leo had wandered back to his chair at the table of honor, ignoring the various girls flirtatiously calling out his name. He had sunk down in his chair, thinking hard. Why had he been acting like that? What had reduced him from a suave man to a stuttering boy who couldn't even form proper sentences? This was Reyna, for Hades sake! This was the girl who could kick his butt to the Underworld and back, who had fought mercilessly against giants and all sorts of hellish creatures... and yet she had been blushing in front of him, looking more tempting with every minute. Even more alarming, his hair had caught fire. That hadn't happened for months, and yet today he was aflame. Over his time at sea, he had gained much more control over his pyrokinetic powers, to the point where his body would no longer spontaneously combust. But today… well today had been a rough day, and so he was bound to have some emotional imbalances and a little less control, Leo reasoned. Yes, that was it.

A sudden hand on his shoulder startled Leo, only to look up and see Percy. This was a little surprising to him, since Percy hadn't been especially close to Leo, even during their quest. They had gotten along well, even played a few pranks together, but nothing close to his friendship with Jason. Percy pulled up a chair beside Leo with a rather serious look in his sea green eyes. Leo had a feeling he knew what was coming.

"Leo," Percy began, "I know you wouldn't just return here for a visit. We all hear the gods say that you had to remain there permanently. So why don't you tell me why you're not on Ogygia." Leo looked warily at Percy. "Remember, I've been to Ogygia too, I know what it's like."

Leo felt his hand tighten on the glass almost to the point of breaking. "Yeah, and you broke her heart. That is not something we have in common." he said, a dangerous venom in his words.

Percy shifted in his chair. "It's the biggest 'What if' of my life. But I made my choice. And you made yours. You chose to return and not have that 'what if'. But something made you come back,and I doubt it's because you broke her heart." Percy's tone softened. "Anyone with eyes... heck even a blind man could see how much you cared about her, and that you would never hurt her."

Leo felt the strong inclination to go get a drink. The pain was threatening to swallow him whole. But Percy would never let him get away with it, nor did he want to disappoint Reyna. Her obsidian eyes swam to the front of his mind, but then all of a sudden, he saw not Reyna's eyes, but Calypso's. He snapped out of his reality to see Percy giving him a cautious look. Leo debated whether he should share his story… and after several minutes of silence and awkward fidgeting, Leo folded his hands on the table and stared straight ahead.

"I spent over a year searching for her," Leo began in a flat, removed tone. "Each day was long, and each night was torture; The nightmares… and the silence was maddening enough, but every day it took to get there made me break just a little bit more." Percy's eyes were all too understanding: He had been to Tartarus, and he knew that sanity was a fragile thing when surrounded by the haunting horrors of your own mind. Leo continued, "But eventually, I made it. I saw Ogygia, and it was like the world was renewed; I was alive again. But when I went to see her, she seemed shy and ashamed, embarrassed and unsure. I was puzzled by her behavior until-"

Leo stopped his tale as a distraction overcame his mind. Reyna had just led her boyfriend out of the lit area and into the darkness, obviously to be alone. Leo frustratingly ran a hand through his thick curls and turned to Percy once again.

The loud music faded into the background as Reyna and Victor walked away from the people, searching for a little privacy. Turning behind a corner near the mess hall, she turned around to see Victor closing the distance between them, his hazel eyes staring deep into hers. Reyna shut her own eyes and felt his lips on hers once again. Here and now, she felt at peace and happy, feeling Victor gently increase the pressure; Reyna was all too happy to oblige in the tender pleasure of his lips. Unexpectedly, he moved his head and trailed kisses up her jaw and down her neck. Reyna gave a small gasp of surprise when he kissed her shoulder; this was so unlike Victor, he had never been this forward before. Not that it was entirely unwelcome… maybe Leo's dance had been enough to ignite a new passion in him. Whatever the cause, Reyna let herself be kissed and returned his sentiment by running her fingers through his auburn hair. She sighed happily. This was so perfect, her wonderful boyfriend and her strong camp, she felt completely content with her life. Until she heard shrill shouting from the dance floor.

Reyna lifted her head, and Victor stopped his administrations as they heard the calamity. Then, unexpectedly, they heard someone give a loud yell. Reyna made to run back, but Victor held her wrist. "Reyna, let's be careful about this." He was right, they needed to be rational, especially if something dangerous was happening. Moving as quickly and silently as she dared, Reyna made her way back to the party, knowing Victor was right behind her. To her surprise, there was no intruder, but rather Octavian. Reyna felt her anger surface; if this pompous pinhead thought he was going to ruin her evening, then he shouldn't be surprised at the knife at his throat. Reyna angrily made her way to where Octavian stood in front of the platform, the crowd parting instantly for her.

"Octavian!" Reyna's powerful voice silenced the room instantly. The skinny blond boy in front of her turned rapidly, and for the first time, she saw that he was not alone. A pretty, frizzy-haired redhead stood quietly beside him, playing with the long beads that hung around her neck. The girl watched Reyna with large, intriguing green eyes. Reyna turned back to the _now dead_ augur. "Is there any good reason you decided to interrupt our festivities tonight, or are you just that thick-headed?" Several people snickered. Octavian colored and straightened his toga before nodding toward the girl.

"As I was just saying to Praetor Frank, this girl is the one to deliver the prophecy! She is the Oracle for the Greeks, and she can answer the prophecy! I am certain of it!" Reyna stared at him disbelievingly. Did he really have to bring that up NOW? It was a celebration for crying out loud, why the hell did he have to ruin such a lovely night and Octavian turned to the girl and spoke quickly, "Girl, state your name and business."

The redhead looked back at him with a twinge of annoyance before speaking. "My name is Rachel Dare, and this idiot dragged me from my cabin to answer any questions he might have before an audience, because he obviously likes making a complete fool of himself in front of people." The crowd giggled as Octavian blushed again. Rachel tugged at the long beads that hung around her neck before turning toward the platform. "So to whom to I have the honor of telling their fortune?" she said with a slightly sarcastic edge to her voice.

Percy, who had been sitting next to Leo, rose and went down to Rachel. Annabeth also stood up and quickly went down to the redhead, eying Octavian distrustfully. Everyone in the room fell silent; you could hear a pin drop. They all knew: This could be it! The next great prophecy for Percy Jackson. "Rachel," Percy spoke quietly, his green eyes serious, "What is the future that you see?"

Rachel just looked at him, and for a few minutes, nothing happened. Did this mean a dead end? Eventually, the room let out a simultaneous sigh of relief, and a the low buzz of idle chatter began to fill the room again. Octavian was extremely agitated at the obvious idiot he had just made himself appear to be. Leo gave a slight laugh. "Come on Octavian, did you expect her to go all glowy-green on just anyone? It has to be a person who is actually _in_ the prophecy, or at least somewhat related to it!" Percy looked relieved that no prophecies involved him, and smiled at Annabeth, who's gray eyes were clouded by the pure relief she felt. Leo felt the sudden urge to continue, "Not just anyone can be like, oh hey, what's the future?" A sudden gasp made Leo shut up faster than he ever had in his life.

Rachel doubled over, and Percy quickly moved to catch her. But she straightened quickly and spoke in an eerie, three-toned voice that never failed to make the hairs on Leo's neck stand up. Her eyes glowed a poisonous green as she began speak:

_The most powerful gift that has ever been given,_

_lies in shards, guarded and hidden._

_For what you seek causes great discord,_

_Only two may retrieve it, the forge and the sword._

_Together must search the four corners of the earth_

_And find each piece, but beware those who lurk_

_Ready to kill and defend their own prize_

_To defeat them you cannot look through your own eyes._

Rachel sunk down again, falling into Percy's arms, who quickly caught her. Annabeth slid a seat underneath Rachel and supported the girl, patting her on the back until Rachel could breathe again. Reyna could only feel stunned; another prophecy! Another quest! With only two… a forge… a sword… Reyna felt horrible comprehension dawning on her, just as the same thought hit Leo. Glancing at one another, each could see the color draining from their faces.

Reyna felt as though her world had been swept out underneath her feet. She wobbled slightly, and was happy to feel Victor's arms support her. Meanwhile, Leo had sunk down into his chair, his head in his hands. The only thought running through his head was: _Why?Why?!_

Octavian, though, was the man of the hour. "Did I not tell you so? Was I not correct?" He strutted around the floor like a constipated peacock while Percy and Annabeth glared at him, as did the rest of the room. He continued to trumpet his own praises until an almost feral growl cut him off.

"Octavian, why don't you shut your foul mouth before I shut it for you! Or would you like a reminder of the last time you angered me?" The uncharacteristically harsh voice of Leo Valdez echoed on the floor. Octavian shuddered and involuntarily grasped his arm; the whole room looked to the savage burn that snaked up the pallid arm. Leo gave a twisted grin; smart man to be afraid. However, this did little to stop Octavian as he opened his trembling mouth to speak again, but Reyna cut him off.

"We will discuss this tomorrow in a meeting. The Senate and the Seven will decide the outcome of this prophecy, and record what he have witnessed. With that said, the party is over now. Return to your homes."

Everyone grumbled, but compliantly shuffled out of the area. Reyna folded her arms and started to quickly walk home. Victor caught up with her, and seeing her expression, simply walked beside her in silence. Only when she was safely at her villa did he kiss her goodnight. She felt nothing as his lips pressed against hers; her thoughts were too occupied to indulge in such pleasure. Victor seemed to sense this, and bid her a good night before moving swiftly down the path. Reyna shut the door and stumbled into her room, allowing herself to show the emotions she had suppressed.

Dread, fear, anger, and a slight twinge of excitement were the main things that ran through her head. What did this prophecy mean? Particularly for her? The sword, a symbol of Bellona… and the forge… a symbol of Vul- Hephaestus. Could it be that this quest was for her and Leo? Why them? What could two people who had absolutely nothing in common hope to accomplish on an adventure to gods-know-where to find gods-know-what? Collapsing on the bed, Reyna felt herself start to fall asleep; she would have to think on it more when during the meeting tomorrow. She tossed and turned as she drifted into a fitful rest.

Leo in the meantime, couldn't sleep at all. Too many thoughts were swimming through his foggy brain, and he breathed deeply as he paced through his casita. Thoughts of fear, rage, and loneliness raced through his mind, and he felt his grip on reality start to slip. He came to a sudden halt, and slowed his breathing. Leo needed to remain in control, he needed to think rationally. He would need to think of the night all over again if he wanted to sort out the chaos of his mind….

_He had just finished retelling his tale to Percy. Percy had been shocked and disgusted, and he now sympathetically patted Leo on the back. "I'm so sorry, Leo." Leo had shrugged; the pain was starting to dull into an ache; time was helping him start to heal. Percy had been a great listener, but now Leo had his own questions. He inquired after everyone's health, and then glancing around at the present Greeks, he noticed one missing. "Where's ol' Death Breath?" Percy's expression saddened, and Leo knew something had happened. "Nico… he ran away. A couple of months after you left, Nico ran away. We have no idea where he went or why, but we haven't seen him since. He had been acting distant up until then, but we had no idea what had been going through his head. I just wish I could have done something, anything to help him." Leo nodded sadly, feeling a new pang of regret. He needed to distract himself, or he would start to want the drink again. "So what about you and Annabeth? Is that a shiny new ring I see on her finger?" Percy snapped out of his state and smiled sheepishly. "Uh… yeah. As a matter of fact, it is," his voice growing stronger, "The others know, but you should too. We've been engaged for almost a year now, and the wedding is in six months!" Leo felt an enormous grin break out over his face as he congratulated Percy and Annabeth for their happiness; and he finally had something else to focus on besides his loneliness. Until that idiotic Octavian showed up…_

Leo now sat down at his dusty workbench, and clearing off some dust, pulled his toolbelt out of one his bags. Turning over the belt in his hands, he asked for a few basic tools. Turning to the side of his bench, Leo picked up a few materials. And now, settling into his wooden chair, Leo began to tinker. It helped distract himself from the agony of the night that threatened to engulf him; Now on top of Calypso, he had this fantastic prophecy to worry about as well, and one that he wasn't looking forward too. Not at all.

Leo built a small outlining frame, then the delicate inner workings, attached a pair of pygmy brass wings, and finally placed the tiny gears and turned the little key. Instantly, a tiny mechanical bird flew upwards. Leo hadn't even really known what he was making; it just felt right. The little bird flew around the room, beating it's little metal wings through the air in a rapid harmonic motion. But eventually, the key started to slow, and the intuitive little bird flew back towards Leo and came to a slow stop on the table.

Leo laughed quietly and began to fine tune his little creation; some adjustments here and there to ensure a smoother flight and a longer life. He let the little metal avian fly around again and again, landing to be fine-tuned and rewound. Each time, he admired the delicate copper wings, and would add little embellishments, such as very small artistic patterns within the wings and the body of the bird itself. He would also add more life-like capabilities, including giving the little chick a computer chip to create a little personality for his new pet, and also a knowledge of basic machinery Leo was so lost in his captivating creation that he spent hours improving it, adding new beauties, and encouraging more independence within the little machine. By the time daylight began to creep through the windows, the bird no longer needed a key, and could fly, land, and just exist by its own will.

He didn't even realize that it was morning until a loud knocking at his door jarred him from his inventive fog. Standing up, Leo made to go for the door and promptly fell flat on his face. Of course his legs would be asleep, and with Leo's luck the person would walk in about now - yup, there they go.

"Leo! Hey, Valdez! Dude, where are you?" Jason called, and then seeing Leo sprawled out on the dusty floor, Jason tried to contain his laughs. Really, he did. But they found their way out, and soon he was guffawing at Leo's predicament until Leo shot a small burst of fire at him, which he easily dodged as he still laughed.

"Okay, okay, I get it! Help me up man, my legs won't work." Jason kept chuckling as he helped Leo stand up, helping him get balanced again, and once Leo had done a quick walk around the room, Jason felt more comfortable with a little quip.

"That's Karma for you, Leo. Although it's not exactly pudding, it was definitely payback." said Jason, his blue eyes filled with mryth. Leo grumbled for a little bit before dusting himself off and straightening up. As he did, Jason instantly noticed that Leo was still in the same clothes that he'd been wearing for the party. Taking note of his bloodshot eyes and frazzled hair, Jason also deduced that Leo had not slept well that night, if he slept at all. "Leo? Did you get any sleep last night?"

Leo shrugged his shoulders. "Nah man, I don't really like to sleep much anymore." Jason kept silent on this, knowing that Leo wouldn't like any pity in his voice. Just before the silence got too awkward, a small metal thing whizzed through the air above his head. Jason ducked, expecting an attack; Leo chuckled and held out his hand.

To Jason's surprise, a tiny automatonic bird landed on Leo's outstretched palm, where it settled comfortably in his hand and began to preen it's little metal feathers. Jason felt his jaw drop as Leo held up the bird for closer inspection. The tiny avian was beautifully embellished with little swirls and curves that resembled a bird's feather pattern, and every one of the mechanical movements was very fluid, almost lifelike. If Jason hadn't known it was a machine, he would have never guessed the truth about the little brass bird.

"This is amazing, Leo." Jason said quietly with a trace of awe. Leo smiled and the bird took flight again.

"His name is Stefano." At this, Jason snapped out of his little reverie and gave Leo a questioning look.

"Stefano.. the mechanical bird?"

"Don't judge me, I do have a table named Buford, remember?" Leo retorted.

Jason rolled his eyes. "Right… Anyway, we have the senate meeting in about an hour, so do you wanna go grab some coffee or something?"

"Sure, why not? I could use a little boost right now." Leo said, as he followed Jason out of the door and into New Rome.

**Oh no, will our poor heroes ever catch a break?! It's time for another great prophecy, and I have a feeling we'll know a little more about it soon... but for now, what do you think it means? Reviews are amazing, and I will see you all soon!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Salutations my dear readers! Let's get on with the next chapter that may be able... shed some light on the new prophecy.**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 10

Reyna sat in her seat, waiting for the meeting to start. She had not slept well, and had woken up several times during the night. As a result, she had walked out of her villa irritated, only to find Victor holding a specially made cup of hot chocolate, complete with large puffy marshmallows and extra chocolate. He had been rewarded with a loving kiss and several moments in a blissful embrace. All too soon though, they both heard the call for the meeting, and Victor had walked her to the principia and departed with another brief kiss.

Reyna sighed as she sipped the now cooling beveridge, observing the people who came pouring in through the doors and filling up the seats. She eyed Piper warily as the pretty girl sat down in one of the Seven's seats. Catching Reyna's eye, she returned her cold glance before turning and waving to two tall figures strolling through the door: Leo and Jason. Glancing briefly at Leo, she quickly figured out that she was not the only one with a restless night. His disheveled clothing was not enhanced by his red eyes nor the stubble growing on his face. Her eyes traced his firm jaw line and roamed over the stubble, vaguely wondering what it would feel like if she ran her hand over it. She soon snapped out of these unusual thoughts by a loud *_hem hem_* as Octavian marched into the room.

Frank called the meeting to order, and then allowed Octavian to relay the prophecy twice before the augur decided to decode the message right there and then. It was obvious that the child of a war god and of the smith god were going to go somewhere and get the "most powerful gift ever given", collect the pieces and defeat bloodthirsty enemies without their own sight. Sounds like fun.

During Octavian's long-winded sermon, Leo was only paying half-attention. Sure, he'd really cared about the prophecy, but now that Octavian was going on a rant about what every little letter in the stupid thing meant, Leo felt his mind wander. And his eyes. He found himself studying Reyna as she struggled to maintain some sort of sign that she was listening. Her eyebrows were scrunched up slightly, her dark eyes seemed to be fighting not to glaze over, and she was twirling her long dark braid within her dainty fingers. Leo looked down at his own hands; long fingers and average palms, now covered with calluses and rough scars. He briefly wondered if her skin was as soft as it looked.

Leo was jolted out of his thoughts by Reyna finally telling Octavian to call it quits, and she took up the stand herself.

"Now, we know that there are two people involved. Any guesses?"

Percy flicked his hand up; Reyna nodded at him to share his thoughts.

"Normally, when we hear a prophecy, the people who are in it are the ones who asked. Leo asked the question, so we know that he is at least for sure in it-" Percy was cut off here.

"Hey man, we don't even know it is about me! I mean, the forge could mean anyone of Hephaestus' kids; I'm not the only one or the best by any means." Reyna smiled slightly at Leo's modesty; he was the best beyond a shadow of a doubt. Percy gave Leo a mild glare before continuing.

"But the fact is that whoever asks the question receives their future, and since you asked, it's yours." Percy said in a clear and dictating tone. Leo was now silent; he couldn't refute this argument as much as he wanted too; If anyone was the expert on prophecies, it was Percy Jackson.

"But now," Percy continued, "Who is the other? Who is the sword?" Everyone was silent for a while as different possibilities flashed through everyone's mind. Reyna noticed several people glance at her, including Leo, and did her best to appear deep in thought. She had felt it in her gut when the prediction was told: she was the other one. But she didn't want to be the sword anymore than Leo wanted to be the forge. And despite knowing that she couldn't deny it forever, Reyna decided to try.

Finally, Frank cleared his throat. "Well, it's obviously one of the war gods. And since Leo is Greek, and this quest seems to be about finding new sight, the other one is probably Roman." Reyna felt her heart speed up. How did Frank deduce this all so quickly? "It might be a child of Mars or Bellona, but I don't think it's me. Whatever cruel fate would put us together would probably not expect such a disaster." Frank ended with a good natured smile.

Leo snickered before saying, "We've done it before, haven't we?"

Frank gave a light laugh before speaking. "True, Valdez. But it didn't feel like it was me. What about you Reyna?" Reyna gave a slight jump, causing several people to give her a suspicious glance. Reyna took a slight breath to regain control; she needed to appear calm and collected in order to pull this off.

"I have no idea-"

"Now now, Reyna, lying doesn't suit you."

Everyone jolted to see a large figure stride through the door. There was a glowing aura around the being; almost heavenly… Several people stood to their feet as the golden glow of Apollo faded into a more neutral radiance. Reyna was beyond stunned to say the least, and with the bright and smiling god came a new sense of dread coursing through her; she wouldn't be able to get away with this.

Apollo waved everyone to relax, and he took long-legged strides to the center of the principia. Giving everyone a dazzling and blinding smile, Apollo began to speak.

"Hey guys! I just happened to be driving the sun overhead and noticed this quaint little meeting going on. I also just happened to notice that our dear praetors were having some trouble deducing the little prophecy that my darling Oracle gave to you. So I came to offer my services! After all, who better to help than the god of prophecy?" Here, Apollo raised his arms, and the people applauded obediently. Now, he turned to Reyna with a deceitfully innocent smile. "So what was that again, fair Reyna?"

Reyna bit her lip and remained silent. Apollo raised a handsome eyebrow. "Dear dear, must I spell it out for you? Actually, this will make a great poem:

_Fair Reyna, you can't _

_try to fool a god like me._

_I am too awesome._

Yes, I rather like the sound of that one."

Reyna had been trying to fight off the growing blush of mortification that stung her cheeks. Now Apollo gave a cheeky smile and once again opened his mouth to recite a poem-

"Okay, we get it dude."

Everyone was shocked at the disrespectfully casual speech, and all heads turned to find Leo Valdez reclining in his seat, a slight frown upon his face. Apollo gave Leo a quizzical look before throwing his head back and laughing. "You've got some nerve, kid! You must get that from your mother, 'cuz ol' Hephaestus doesn't have half of your guts!" Leo was stunned, to say the least, that he wasn't being chastised.

Apollo continued to chortle until he finally noticed he was the only one laughing, and then cleared his throat. "So why don't you stop beating around the bush and tell them, Reyna?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Reyna forced out.

Apollo looked at her seriously. "If Valdez can accept his fate with all he's been through, you can too. Now tell us the truth."

Reyna looked like she was going to be sick; Leo's fists clenched slightly. Apollo kept smiling and looked patiently at the praetor. Reyna finally took a deep breath.

"I think… that I'm the sword. There, are you happy now?" There were no sudden gasps, no raised eyebrows; But there was on solitary applauder.

"Very good, Reyna. You've accepted your own fate, and now it's onward to the quest!"

"Is this the Roman side of you? I've never seen you so uptight and relaxed at the same time ." Percy questioned. Apollo turned with a small smile.

"Indeed it is, Perseus. My Roman side is more commonly known as Phoebus, and therefore I am more serious and disciplined than my Greek side. But I will still allow the name of Apollo for both forms. But we have more important things to do now! We need to organize this quest, and I have some information that you might be interested in."

"Such as?" inquired Frank.

"The gift you are looking for."

The room was dead silent. The sun god gave a small smirk and began to speak.

"Long ago," began Phoebus, using his godly powers to paint a smokey image into the sky, "Before the gods and even before the Titans, there was nothing. Nothing except the Earth and the Stars. Gaea, or Terra, and Ouranos, or Caelus. When they were joined in love, Caleus gave his new wife the most worthy gift he had to offer: one of his stars. But this star had special properties, you see: This little star, when pieced together, creates the most tool known to man and gods alike; the _speculum de stellis, _or the Looking Glass Star." Now came a smokey picture of four tiny shards; almost like little bits of opaque glass.

" It was given this name because when it is combined, it allows the being in possession of the _speculum_ to know all; more than gods and titans combined. It can see all: people, locations, thoughts, feelings; past, present, and future. It was given so that Terra would know all things and beings that would walk on her. After Saturn, or Kronos, overthrew his father, Terra broke the _speculum_ into four pieces in order to prevent one of the titans, and later the gods, from gaining it's tremendous power. But after dear Mother Earth's near destruction of any good in the world, it seems that this quest is completely necessary now."

"But Gaea's asleep now, she can't do any harm." protested Hazel.

Phoebus shook his head. "Did it ever occur to any of you that Terra, or Gaea I suppose, is only sleeping? Someday she will start to wake again, and there will be a new generation of demigods and legacies to deal with everything you went through, if not more horrible. Terra doesn't forget; and any mistakes she made this time that may have allowed us a victory… she won't make them again." The room was gravely silent as the smokey painting tinted a deep red, and the little shards became much more sinister looking as they vaguely shown like little blood droplets.

"The _speculum_ has the power to prevent another uprising; we can look into the future, see if anything will happen, and plan against it, be more prepared, and try not to let things get nearly as dire." The painting became clear once again as lighter color streaked across the once ominous canvas. Phoebus waved his hand and the whole thing vanished.

"So this could potentially prevent another uprising?" asked Annabeth. Phoebus nodded his head.

"Now you see the importance of this quest. But now I give a warning: the monster's and warriors that Terra set to guard the shards are the most ferocious and destructive beings to ever walk the earth, and are still loyal to her. However, they do not know about the existence of the other shards; they think they are the sole guardian of an important object. Moreover, since sweet Terra doesn't tolerate failure, she has attached the lifeforce of each of the creatures onto their piece, and so if someone ever did take it… well, let's just say they have a strong incentive to guard it."

Leo and Reyna were both getting paler by the minute; it took all of Leo's willpower not to burst into flames, or at least to start smoking. Reyna hid her shaking hands underneath the table and tried to breathe deeply to still her racing heart. This quest sounded like a suicide mission; no wonder nobody has attempted to get the pieces before. There was a slight rumble of thunder overhead; Phoebus glanced up at the ceiling.

"My time is almost up; do not expect this to be the last time you see a god or goddess. But to the two heroes on this quest, I give you these parting words: Do not seek the obvious, expect the unexpected." With a bright flash, the sun god vanished.

The entire room let out a breath, but it did nothing to ease the tension in the room. Until Piper spoke up.

"So, when will this quest happen?"

Leo and Reyna looked at each other and had a quick eye conversation, giving slight gestures and expressions. Then they both turned.

"In a couple of days. I'd like to see my friends for a little bit before I have to leave again." said Leo with a sad smile. Reyna nodded, biting her lip and looking downward.

There were another uncomfortable couple of minutes before Reyna cleared her throat. "The Senate and guests are dismissed, go about your business." she spoke in a tight voice. As Reyna spoke, people stood up quickly and filed out of the room without so much as a whisper. Leo made to go too, until Reyna's crisp voice spoke to him.

"Valdez, please stay back." Leo halted in his tracks and turned to face her. The entire room was empty now. Reyna waved him back into her office, and he shuffled obediently into the room. She closed the door and turned to face him. Reyna opened her mouth to speak, and was cut off.

"Look, I'm really sorry for any of the trouble I caused, and that I somehow dragged you into this mess. I would never want anyone to be forced into this suicidal mission with me, and especially not you. You have a life here at camp, with people who adore you." Leo took a shaky breath. "So if you decide to stay behind, or leave at anytime during the quest, I completely understand."

Reyna blinked as she felt her anger flare. Did he not think her capable of completing the quest? Did he think of her of some little _girl_ who would be scared of going on a dangerous mission? But one look into his deep brown eyes determined that it was none of the above. Leo really did seem to be looking out for her; he wanted what was best, what would make her happy. But why would he not fight his own call? The answer came quickly: Calypso. Whatever Calypso had done, Leo now seemed to feel insignificant, as if it didn't matter if his life was lost. Reyna felt her anger rise again, but not at Leo. No, it was at this silly little _girl_ who made him feel worthless, and she felt the sudden, overwhelming urge to give Leo a hug. Instead, she spoke.

"I'm not going try not to go , nor will I abandon you. We are both a part of this prophecy, and if we have any hope of getting through this alive, we need each other." Leo still looked unsure. She opened her mouth to dismiss him, and instead blurted out, "Besides, there is no one I'd rather have watching my back than you."

Leo raised his eyebrows but said nothing, looking at the ground and biting his lip. Reyna felt like she had been slapped; He didn't believe her. But then again, why should he? They barely know each other, and no matter what either of them felt during that dance, they were still almost complete strangers; allies at most. Reyna felt her cheeks burn in embarrassment. There was a long, awkward silence, until Leo cleared his throat.

"Well then, I guess I'll see you in two days. Enjoy your time with Victor." There was a slight sneer on that last word. Reyna was slightly confused, until she decided that Leo was just a little hurt from what he thought was a fake compliment, and now a reminder of his broken heart. She felt a pain in her stomach as he started to walk out the door.

"Valdez," she started. He turned, looking passively at her. "I'll see you then, just be sure to get all of your stuff together in time." Reyna calmly stated, ignoring the building knots in her stomach.

Leo gave a stiff nod. "Of course, _reina_." And he was gone.

**Ooooh Leyna drama! Reyna was just trying to be nice... but poor Leo! Anyways, what did you think? Please read and review, it helps me with my writing and I love hearing from you guys!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hola mis amigos! Here's the next chapter! Spoiler: It's a little sad, but **

Chapter 11

Leo tried to enjoy every minute of his last couple of days of freedom. He spent some time with Percy and Annabeth, discussing their wedding plans and outlining their new home. Annabeth and Leo worked together extremely well when creating the architecture and layout of the home; Leo considered it his wedding present to them. He assigned a combined group of Hephaestus and Vulcan kids to begin building it. He and Percy pulled many pranks on people all over New Rome, but his particular favorite was dropping a bowl full of aphids onto Victor's head as he was leaving his bunker. Who knew a short redheaded guy could scream so loudly?

Leo spent his first night with Hazel and Frank, eating ice cream under the stars. As Leo was pointing out some of his favorite constellations, Hazel took his hand gently, and turned and nodded to Frank, who promptly got up and lumbered off. Hazel then sweetly told Leo all about Sammy, and how he would be so proud of the man Leo had become. Leo felt the lump in his throat increase when she shyly leaned in and kissed his cheek. Frank happened to come back at that moment and present Leo with a present from him and Hazel: A large sledgehammer. Leo eagerly accepted the gift and soon discovered all of it's special properties: it could change it's size from a sledgehammer to about three pounds, and then harness the heat and flames that Leo could easily provide to make a formidable weapon, and when he wasn't using it, the hammer melded into his skin and became a small tattoo on the inside of his wrist; this was obviously given from Ares/Mars himself. Leo shed many tears at the thoughtful gift, and even more flowed as Hazel embraced him and Frank slipped his own arm around them.

The entire last day was dedicated to his two best friends: Jason and Piper. They spent the day wandering through the city, talking and laughing, and even wandering to arena and watching a few fights. Eventually, Jason challenged Leo, with Piper cheering in the stands as the two men fought with spear and hammer, and then wind and fire. Then, for the fun of it, they created a firestorm, not unlike the one they used to defeat Gaea. Leo began to show off his newly controlled powers, making shapes and faces with the dancing flames, and even at one point making a fiery dragon race around the arena. There was a round of applause not only from his friends, but from the surrounding spectators. The last part of the day was spent on the roof of the Principia, eating tons of candy and ice cream, even some flan that Piper picked up. The flan was amazing, and Leo felt overwhelmed with the memories from the little dessert. _He could practically hear his mother humming as their house had filled with the wonderfully caramel-cinnamon smell. _

Long after the sun had gone down and the sweets had been decimated, Jason and Piper both left for a moment, and upon their return, presented Leo with something incredible: It was a small little pocket watch, that he was told could contact anyone with access to an Iris message, free of charge. But the thing that truly made it so sentimental was the little symbols on the outer shell and inner workings, all in Greek, depicting Leo's deeds from when he was claimed all those years ago to now as he set off in search of the greatest treasure. And on the inside, there was a precious and accurate carving of Leo and his mother, Esperanza. It could have only been done by his father; the master craftsmanship was so evident, and the carving was so real… Leo was crying again as Piper and Jason held him, tears running down their own cheeks. It was nearly dawn before the trio parted and Leo stumbled back to his casita to try and grab a few hours of sleep before his departure. Stefano the mechanical canary greeted Leo with a few musical chirps upon entry, flying over to Leo and giving him a sweet peck before swooping back to his little perch. Leo affectionately stroked the bird and gave him some shiny lug nuts to eat before collapsing upon his bed.

Reyna meanwhile, had spent the last couple of days packing, preparing, and researching. As she pored over pages in the library, and rereading old tales, Reyna found nothing that gave them a description of anything they would face, nor of the shards that they would have to find. The evenings were spent with her various friends around camp: Gwen, Dakotah, and even Jason. All of them gave her various little gifts: from Gwen, a new sword the gleamed imperial gold on one side and regular iron on the other and when Reyna touched the tip of the hilt, the sword shrank to a little golden ring she could wear around her middle finger. From Dakotah, an elixir of wine with the power to heal wounds of any nature and even put a stopper in death; a gift from Bacchus. Finally, Jason came to her on the last day, and handed her a small golden coin that looked strangely familiar.

"Are you giving me your spear?" she asked.

"No, it's a special little device; whenever you are in trouble, and you can't get away otherwise, you simply need to say _tollite me domum, _and you will be spirited back here."

Reyna bit her cheek. "Why does everyone think I'm going to abandon Leo?" Instantly she regretted her words. Jason gave her a strange look, his electric blue eyes wary. Reyna gave a small apology, before muttering something about Leo protesting her going… Jason took her in his arms. Reyna let out a small gasp as she felt his strong hold tighten.

"Reyna," he breathed into her ear, "I gave this to you so that you will always have a way to stay safe. And if Leo is holding onto you, he will come too. I know you won't abandon him, but I always want a way out for you. Both of you." He relaxed his grip slightly. "Whatever happened in the past is the past, Reyna. Whatever was between us is not there anymore, but it still is in some ways. I still care about you, as a friend and an ex-praetor , and I don't want to see you get hurt."

Reyna was surprised to find herself crying. She wriggled out of his embrace a bit and put hand on his cheek. "Jason," she began, but then her throat closed up completely. "Thank you, and… and I forgive you." Jason gave her a sincere smile, before pulling her back into his arms as they watched the sunset, enjoying their time together.

After Jason left, Reyna walked back to her villa alone. She knew who would be there and what they'd say, which is why she'd been avoiding him for the past two days. Sure enough, Victor was waiting there, and as soon as she walked up, he began to speak. Reyna pinched the bridge of her nose as he listed his numerous reasons for denying this quest. He was making this harder than it was, and she was reaching the end of her patience. Tomorrow, she would be setting out on a deadly quest and she really needed a decent night's sleep. Before Victor could react, she pressed her lips against his. Surprisingly (and a little hurtfully), Victor pulled her off him and starting to talk again. Then, something snapped in Reyna.

"Victor Thomas Sage, stop talking NOW!" He promptly shut up. "I know it's dangerous, and I know you'd rather have anyone take my place, but this is my quest. It is my fate, and denying it would only make it worse. I _can _complete this quest and I _will._ Do you not have any faith in me?"

Victor was silent, before pulling her into his arms. "Reyna," he whispered, "I care about you, and I don't want to see you hurt. Please don't do this…"

Victor's pleas were hard to hear, but Reyna was firm in her resolve. "No, Victor. I must."

With a dejected sigh, Victor quickly walked away from her villa, not even kissing her goodbye. Reyna felt like calling after him, but contented herself with sobbing with her dogs. Both metal hounds sat dutifully at their mistress' feet, nudging her hand for affection and cuddling into her side when her sobs became particularly loud. Eventually, Reyna drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning, both Leo and Reyna woke with the sun, almost as if the light had been directed directly at them to shake them from their dreams. Reyna arose, showered, and dressed in a simple SPQR shirt and jeans, braiding her hair once again. Mentally going through her checklist, Reyna picked up the two duffle bags that held her personal items for the quest, including the new gifts: the elixir was safely stowed away, and she wore her new sword/ring. But she kept the coin in the pocket of her jeans, feeling Jason's parting words persuading her to keep it close. Reyna hefted the two bags as her dogs trotted along beside her; they were going on this trip. Leo had tons of automatons, and her dogs were no exception. Besides, she needed someone on there who would always have her back, no matter what. As she thought this, Reyna felt herself thinking to what she had said to Leo two days ago. "_Besides, there is no one I'd rather have watching my back than you…"_ Her cheeks colored the more she dwelled on it. Had she expected him to smile and thank her? To fall at her feet with joy? No… she didn't really know what she had expected, but it didn't matter now. Now they were going to gods-know-where to find the shards, and she had to focus and work with Leo well. But one thing did strike her as odd, and it constantly flashed through her minds whenever she thought of her little embarrassment: _You meant it._

Before too long, she and her dogs arrived at Leo's casita. She heard him frantically running around his house and swearing at the top of his lungs, and let out a slight giggle. Reyna mentally slapped herself as she heard Leo come to a grinding halt and call out, "Who's there?"

Reyna cleared her throat. "It's me, Reyna." She heard Leo stumble over several things before the door opened with a sudden jerk.

"Oh, hey Reyna." Leo said semi-casually, holding a couple of duffle bags over his shoulder. Reyna was surprised to find his other shoulder occupied by a small metallic bird that gave a little musical chirp when it saw Reyna. Her dogs eyed the bird warily.

"Hey yourself. Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, just let me grab something really quick." Before she could speak, he had dropped the bags and darted back into the house. She heard another quick bout of curses before a triumphant "AHA!". Leo came back into view as he slid what looked like a small pocket watch into his jeans.

"Okay, vamos!" Leo said with a smile as he strode out the door and onto the walkway. Reyna shook her head and hefted her own bags up as she followed him. He had anchored his ship just a little ways away; Reyna could see the top of the mast peeking out behind the buildings. What a strange group they were! Two demigods from different camps, two metal dogs, and a little brass bird that flew in front of them, twittering and flapping it's little wings joyfully. The silent little party (save the chittering canary) quickly made it's way through the nearly empty streets of New Rome and out onto the hills that surrounded it. Reyna briefly had a feeling of deceptive contentment while walking up and down the hills: it was a very clear and balmy day, and the whole environment gave off an air of serenity. Which was the complete opposite of what Reyna was on her way to do; Yes, sailing off with a guy she barely knew to go find pieces of something she barely knows about. So peaceful.

Once they reached the Argo II, Leo quickly dashed over to side of the ship and knocked three times. All at once, a hidden panel slid open. Leo gave a ridiculously eccentric bow. "After you, _reina._" Reyna rolled her eyes and walked onto the boat, her dogs trailing behind her. Leo opened his mouth to protest, but then thought better of it. Hey, if she needed her dogs, then she would have them. He just wanted her to be as happy as possible on this mission, and if that meant having her dogs, then he was all for it. After all, he had Stefano and Festus.

"Valdez! Are you coming or are you gonna stay here and let me drive?" Leo smiled at the sound of her amused voice. Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as he thought.

"Coming, _mi reina_, I'm coming."

**And they're off! Next time we'll start to see the beginning's of a dangerous quest, and some insight onto what it is our heroes will be facing. Please read and review; I do love opening my email and seeing reviews from you guys. Anyway, see you around Thursday... maybe...**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello my readers, I have some bad news: Last night, the pastor of my church passed away and went to be with the Lord. I knew him; He was one of the best men I have ever met. I'm posting this chapter because I need to explain that I might be absent for a little while; not too long, but I won't be able to post on Sunday. I'm sorry if I frustrated you by not being able to post on schedule, but this is a really difficult time and I need to be with my family and the church more so that we can work through this together.**

**For those of you whom I've depressed, please do not be sad on my account; I would never want to make my readers upset. Just consider this a note that the next chapter won't come on time.**

**Until then, I hope you enjoy the next chapter.**

Chapter 12

Reyna felt her jaw drop as she walked onto the ship. Leo had obviously done some major improvements, and boy, were they _magnificent_. The stables and engine room were nothing to gape over, but walking up to the main center... it was incredible. The dark wood walls were enhanced by the large mahogany table, which led to another room with a plush white couch and little soft stools all over the room, framed by little windows that showed some sort of summer camp- the Greek camp, Reyna recognized. It showed various scenes from the strawberry fields, to what looked like a warm fire. She was mesmerised by the pictures in front of her, and soon found herself staring into the fire with a deep longing. Leo cleared his throat from behind and Reyna jumped slightly. Leo gave a lopsided grin.

"So, do you like it?" Leo was surprised by the slight timidity in his voice; usually he would brag for days about his wonderful ship. But now, he was genuinely curious to see what Reyna thought of his ship.

"It's very nice." Reyna vaguely commented. She saw Leo's face fall, and her heart twisted up at the sight of his sad brown eyes. "This must have taken a lot of work." she attempted to correct her error.

"Nah, it wasn't so hard." Leo casually recovered, leaning up against one of the walls. "Aurum and Argentum are downstairs, and I take it they'll be sleeping in your room?"

"I'm not sure yet… and where is my room?"

Leo gave a deep laugh and took a few quick strides over to where Reyna stood. Reyna felt her face heat up at his unexpected closeness and hoped against hope that he couldn't see her blush. She swore in her head when she saw the smirk on his face. Leo quickly scooped up both of her bags into his arms and walked toward the back of the ship. "This way, _reina_."

"I can carry my bags myself." said Reyna, trying to recover from her slip.

Leo gave another laugh. "It's called being nice, Ms. Praetor. What kind of gentleman would I be if I let a lady carry her own bags?" Reyna gave a little huff of annoyance as he set her bags down outside of a long hallway.

"Any of these rooms are yours for the choosing, save this one." He pointed to the door in front of him that was painted with bright orange and red flames. "That's mine. Also, please don't go into my room. Wouldn't want you getting hurt, what with all the crazy junk I've got in there."

Reyna gave a sarcastic smile. "Yes, because the quest won't hurt at all." she said dryily.

Leo chuckled merrily and said, "That's the spirit!" and gave her a slight pat on the back. The touch of his hand on her shoulder sent Reyna's stomach swooping, and she remained silent and tried to fight off the feeling.

"Anyways, we'll be leaving in just a minute. So you can stay here and unpack or come up with me. Festus would love to see you."

"Thanks, we'll see." she said distantly, trying to reign in her feelings and not show any emotion.

Leo walked out of the hallway and ascended a small flight of stairs that led to the control room. He began to toy with the various controls and had just shook the Wii remote to indicate their flight when he heard a soft little chirp. Stefano the canary landed on the main wheel and gazed up at Festus with large, golden eyes. Festus regarded the tiny bird for a moment before letting out a small jet of steam. Stefano flew happily upward and perched on the dragon's head with a bright little chitter. Leo let out his own laugh and said under his breath, "And away we go."

The ship gave an upward lurch as it moved up. With a few minor adjustments, the Argo II was soon flying among the clouds. He was so happy to be back on the sky, not searching, just soaring, and he forgot about everything: the quest, Reyna, and even Calypso. Leo was free and soaring! Festus gave a few reassuring whirrs and creaks, and soon Leo was singing. Now, Leo was no brilliant singer, but he wasn't terrible either. He was simply average. And now he sang songs as he watched the horizon, ranging from old spanish hymns to the more modern song, "Radioactive." He really liked that song for some reason, and he always felt the need to dance to it a little too. And so he did.

Letting go of the controllers, Leo began to sing along with the small radio on the dash.

"_I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones! "Nuff to make my systems BLOW"_

On "blow," Leo opened his hands and shot jets of fire from his palms.

"_Welcome to the new age…"_

Leo began to dance around the control center, using his fire to add effect to the song. He went through the whole song like that: Dancing, shooting fire, and singing. He was in his own little world until the end of the song, when he heard a slight cough behind him.

Leo turned so quickly that he nearly lost his balance. Wobbling like crazy, he managed to righten himself to see Reyna standing there, a small smile on her face. Reality came crashing back down, and Leo felt his cheeks redden. He cleared his throat, "Uh… Hey! How's it going! I, uh…. How long have you been standing there?"

Reyna smirked. "Since you sang 'All systems go' and pointed at Festus and your little bird. They seemed to enjoy it. By the way, nice dance moves; The fire was really a good effect."

"Ha ha ha." Leo dryly laughed. "And for future reference, this is not just any bird," Leo clapped his hands and the avian whizzed down into the palm of his hand, "It's Stefano." Reyna tentatively walked up the steps and peered at the little bird. The master craftsmanship was evident in all features, and Reyna was impressed that the tiny thing could have such intricate details.

Leo cleared his throat; he didn't mind her looking at his creation, but he was becoming increasingly aware of the closing distance between them. "So anyway, uhhh… are you hungry?" Leo mentally face-palmed. _Really, that's the best you could do?_

Reyna dismissively waved her hand. "Actually, I'd like to know where we're going."

Leo snapped his fingers and Stefano flew back to his perch on Festus. "Ah, of course!" He turned and gave the keyboard a few quick taps, and he motioned for Reyna to stand back. Out of the floor rose Odysseus' navigation device, and with some rapid typing, the astrolabe zoomed in on to the flying ship. "Well. I figured that since the prophecy said we'd need to search the four corners of the earth, we'll look in the four directions: North, south, east, and west. And since we started over here on the west coast, we'll head there first."

"But where does west begin? The earth is round." She interrupted, her brow furrowing in what Leo considered an adorable way. She bit her lip as well, which really didn't help Leo's focus.

"Well," Leo said trying to regain some of his bravado, "We stop counting the east around Japan and some of the pacific islands. So maybe the first piece is somewhere in the Pacific." He frowned in concentration, and pressed a few more buttons. The device zoomed out and in on several different locations. Unsatisfied, Leo stared intently at the various islands that dotted the large blue ocean. "It's got to be a place where the gods aren't as powerful…"

"Yet somewhere where the guardian will know what is going on… somewhere close by…" Reyna mused. Suddenly, Festus gave a particularly loud creak. Leo looked up incredulously before staring back down at the device. "Maybe…"

"Maybe what?" Reyna inquired. Leo muttered to himself for a minute or two before turning to her.

"We might be able to find something in Hawaii. Festus says there is a highly unusual amount of magic there, and we could get some clues." His face lit up into a jack-o-lantern grin. "And maybe I could learn to surf and hula dance."

Reyna snorted. "Yeah, 'cuz hula dancing will _definitely_ come in handy later on in life."

"Hey, you never know." Leo protested. He spun the dial on the dashboard and the ship gave a slight lurch. "Well, we'll be there in a few hours. Why don't you give Vicky-poo a call?"

Reyna gave him a withering glare before casting her eyes downward. It wasn't his fault, he didn't know that Victor hadn't said goodbye.

"Reyna? Reyna? Hey, Rey?" Her head shot up at the new nickname and Leo took a step back at the look in her eyes. It was pain, sadness, and anger all rolled into one. He recognized the signs of a sad heart, and he quickly slipped the pocket watch from his jeans. "I'm sorry if I said anything to offend you," Leo muttered. He held out the watch to her. "Please, use this to call Victor; it's like Iris messaging, but free of charge." Reyna looked unsure, and Leo briefly explained the concept of Iris messaging.

Reyna, still looking warily at Leo, took the watch and muttered a slight "thanks" before scurrying back into her room. Leo heaved a loud sigh and turned back to the wheel. As he absentmindedly adjusted the various coordinates, he berated himself for his comment. Why would he say something like that? Even if he didn't know something was wrong… It was just harmless teasing? Unless… something was wrong… Leo felt a glimmer of happiness that was immediately squashed by guilt. Why was he happy at her pain? Why would he even want them to break up in the first place? Leo pondered these questions as he watched the sun sink into the ocean, and well into the night, failing to notice his little bird had gone missing.

Reyna ran through the halls, trying not to cry. Quickly grabbing her bags, Reyna rushed down to the end of the hallway and threw her bags in the room furthest from Leo's. Finally, she slammed the door shut and let the tears flow. Leo hadn't known, it wasn't fair of her to be angry… and yet there she was, crying. Reyna heard a soft little chirp and felt cold metal land on her arm. Looking upwards, she found the little canary that Leo had introduced on her arm, gently tugging at some loose strands of her hair. What was his name again? Steven? Stew?

"Stephen?" Reyna questioned the bird; It almost looked offended. "Wait, wait no.. I can do this… Stefano?" she guessed, and was rewarded by a merry round of tweets. Reyna giggled and let Stefano hop into her palm, and then cuddled him close. Since Aurum and Argentum were happily installed in the stables down below, the tiny automaton she cradled was extremely comforting, and made reassuring coos as Reyna felt more tears slip down her cheeks.

When she was done with her crying, Reyna composed herself, took a deep breath, and opened the pocket watch. She was instantly greeted with a picture of beautiful, strong Latina woman and her little son. The woman had long, dark, and curly hair and kind brown eyes… Leo's eyes. This was his mother. And the baby… the adorable, round-faced baby was Leo…

Reyna instantly felt as though she had intruded on something private. This was obviously extremely special to Leo, but he had let her use it, so she would need to be very careful in the little time she possessed it. Reyna then glanced at the place where the clock would be and found an opaque slab of glass filled with a colorful, ever-changing fog.

"Victor Sage at New Rome." Reyna spoke into the watch. The mist swirled around in the little glass face, and soon she saw the back of a red-head, bent over and obviously hard at work. "Victor?" Reyna spoke timidly. Victor whirled around and proceeded to clock his head on something nearby, and Reyna had to bite her tongue trying not to laugh.

When Victor regained his bearings, he stared at Reyna's face for a long time. Finally, he croaked out, "Reyna? Is that you?" She nodded happily. "How- How are you doing that?"

"Valdez told me about a way I could communicate with you, and now, here I am!" Victor smiled widely and Reyna felt renewed as she filled him in with all of the current details, chatting aimlessly about the past few hours. Victor stopped her after she began to talk about the quest again.

"So, you're going to Hawaii right now? The big island, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, we'll be there in a few hours, and then sleep here and go out in the morning."

Victor bit his lip and looked away for a moment, before then turning to look Reyna straight in the eyes. "Reyna? The-There's something I need to tell you." Reyna felt her heart stop, but kept her stoic expression and just narrowed her eyes.

"Go on."

"Well, I ran across something in one of the books you left behind, and I think it could help you. But it's really dangerous, and I didn't want to tell you…" He trailed off.

Reyna gave an exasperated sigh. "Victor, please tell me. This could be imperative to our mission, and in the end it could save my life."

"Well… there's this volcano on the big island known as Mauna Loa, and it's been known to have a lot of magical activity around it: Tourists disappearing, strange rumblings, and the locals have a legend about an evil giant living within the volcano, and to appease the giant, they would sacrifice young girls to keep the volcano from erupting. The few times they forgot, Mauna Loa destroyed everything. The only creature that could seem to fit is called a Cherufe." Victor finished.

Reyna had been listening very intently, but when he got to the name, her brow furrowed. "A Cherufe? I've never even heard of that before."

"Me neither." Victor agreed. "Just please stay safe. When did you say you will get there?"

"A few hours, but we won't search 'till morning."

"Okay," he breathed, "Just be careful Reyna. I miss you."

Reyna gave a small smile. "I miss you too."

Victor returned the smile and then the connection was cut. Strangely, Reyna felt lighter than she had when she had boarded the Argo. Now what on earth was a Cherufe? If that was the creature they were facing, they would need to be as prepared as possible. It didn't sound Roman, or even Greek, which was strange. Reyna went through every beast she had ever learned about in her head until the gentle sway of the boat rocked her to sleep.

**What did you think? I love hearing your feedback, but because of circumstances explained above, I might not be able to respond like I usually try to. But I will do my best! Until next time, my dear readers, God Bless.**

**Lilypad009**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello my dear readers, it's been too long! And now... THE NEXT CHAPTER!**

Chapter 13

Reyna woke up with a stiff back. She rolled over and found herself on the bed in her cabin. Sitting up, the blanket that had been covering her had slipped off, and Reyna wondered when she had hopped into bed. Last she'd remembered, she'd fallen asleep on the ground, and yet here she was snuggled up in the blankets! Just before she could think more, the most delicious aroma wafted through the cracks in her door; Reyna felt her mouth water. Shrugging off the remaining blankets, she walked out of her cabin and down the hallway in search of the source of the enticing aroma.

Walking into the main sitting room, Reyna was surprised to see her dogs happily eating out of a pair of chrome dog bowls while Stefano dunked his little metal head into a much smaller bowl. Even more surprising was Leo, standing near one end of the table. He muttered something towards the golden dish, and to Reyna's amazement, a plate of hot steaming food suddenly appeared! The smell of the savory food made Reyna's stomach growl. Loudly. Leo turned to see a flustered praetor holding her stomach sheepishly.

"Uh… I'm hungry?" she tried.

Leo threw his head back and let out a deep, booming laugh. "_Por supuesto, mi reina_. Right this way!" He waved her over, and with a dramatic bow, pulled out her chair. Reyna fought hard to keep her stoic face, but her lips twitched. Moving gracefully over, she sat down in the chair. Leo practically galloped to the other side of the table and sat down to his own breakfast as Reyna peered at the food.

"Pineapple pancakes?" she muttered, almost disbelievingly.

"Sure, since we are in the pineapple capital of the world! Plus, there are some _carnitas_ for a side if you want." he offered.

"Very astute." she murmured, beginning to eat.

Leo smiled and said nothing, and they finished their breakfast together in silence. When they were done, Reyna walked closer to Leo and held out her hand. He almost blushed until he noticed the pocket watch.

"Oh! Thanks! I was wondering where that went." he said lightly, taking it back.

"No problem." she said dismissively, "So I was talking to Victor…" Leo frowned instantly. Reyna thought is strange, but shook it off.. "And he found something. Do you know what a Cherufe is?"

Leo looked stunned before saying, "Yeah, I do actually. My mother… she used to tell me stories…" he trailed off.

Reyna looked equally stunned. "What is it?"

"A creature from volcanos, a man of magma, _un hombre de fuego_." Leo recited. "Remember how there all those old stories of young girls being sacrificed to a volcano? Well, that's where they were going. These things live in a volcano and they can make it erupt… and unless the villagers feed them, then they destroy everything. It was an old legend from Chile, and one of my favorites as a kid." he finished with an ironic smile.

"Well, that explains why I've never heard of it; I'm Puerto Rican, not Chilean."

Leo chuckled. "And I'm Mexican, but stories are stories! Anyone can enjoy them with enough imagination!"

Reyna bit her lip and looked uncertainly at him; Leo instantly felt nervous. "What?"

"That almost sounded…. intelligent." she managed with a straight face.

Leo rolled his eyes. "No need to sound so surprised." he said dryly. "Anyways, is that what we're facing? A cherufe? Damn, now I'm not nearly as excited for this quest."

"Why not? Isn't there someway we can stop it, something in the story?" Reyna inquired.

"No, none that I've ever heard of. The legend says that the sun god's daughters were stationed at the mouth of the volcano to try and protect against any damage the monster might do… otherwise…"

"We're on our own." Reyna finished. "What else is new?"

Leo gave a twisted smile and stood up, walking over to the hallway. "Very true, _reina_. If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go get ready to leave. Did Vicky-Poo give us any hints at where this cherufe is?"

Reyna bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from glaring. _He's just teasing… lighten up…_ "H-He said something about Mauna Loa, and that there might be a cherufe living there." she said, cursing herself for stuttering.

"Mauna Loa," Leo mused, muttering to himself as he opened the door to his room and shut it with a loud _thud, _leaving Reyna alone with her dogs and Stefano. Her dogs had finished their meal and clanked over to Reyna to be pet, while the bird flew towards Festus and perched on the dragon's head. Reyna giggled at the sight of menacing Festus and the adorable canary perched on top of his head; It was a living oxymoron! Her dogs nudged her hand, and she indulged a few moments with her hounds affectionately stroking them, until she snapped her fingers and walked back to her own room.

Closing the door behind her, Reyna turned and began to unpack her bags; not really putting anything away, more like looking for what she would need. Sorting through her stuff, Reyna quickly slipped her ring back onto her finger and the coin in her pocket; Jason's words rang through her head… "_All you have to say is…"_ Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Reyna also grabbed a small imperial bronze knife and slid it on the inside of her jeans. Changing her shirt to a red tank top, Reyna brushed out her raven hair before quickly braiding it back. Double checking her weapons once more, Reyna opened her door and walked out into the main sitting room. Leo was nowhere to be seen. Walking over to plate, she examined the shining gold surface. Looking over her shoulder, Reyna leaned down towards the plate and whispered, "Jellybeans."

Instantly, the plate was piled high with all colors of the candy: Reyna's favorite. Smiling to herself, she took a large handful and walked over to the couch, sitting down and eating her delicious treat. Halfway through, she heard the door open, and moments later, Leo strode into the room, wearing a new white t-shirt and jeans, along with his tool belt and suspenders. Reyna felt a warmth in her chest as she looked him over; no matter how simply he was dressed, Leo could make it work. Leo, in the meantime, hopped over the couch and plucked a few jellybeans from her palm and popped them into his mouth. Smacking his lips, his eyes looked her up and down, and he said cheekily, "Hey good lookin', what's cookin'?"

Reyna rolled her eyes and protected her remaining jelly beans from his ravenous hands and tried to his ignore his eyes on her. "You should wear red more often, you look good in it." he said smoothly.

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Why should I?"

Leo laughed. "Because red is the blood of angry men! Er… women! It looks great on you, and it also kinda reminds me of you: strong, powerful, and passionate." Leo tried to disguise his voice on that last word. Unfortunately for him, Reyna saw the way his eyes slightly smoldered on the last little bit, and felt her heart skip a beat. "And I also really like red jellybeans," Leo added, trying to snatch a few.

As his wrist stretched before her eyes, Reyna noticed something there that wasn't there before. "What is that on your wrist?" she questioned, looking closer. "Is that a tattoo of a hammer?"

Leo removed his arm and smile sheepishly. "Yeah, it's a gift."

"You got a tattoo for a gift?"

"It's more than just a tattoo. Hopefully, it won't need to be anything more, but today that seems unlikely." he stated, his eyes fixed on the candy. Suddenly, he darted forward and tried to grab the jellybeans, only ending up holding part of Reyna's slender wrist. Her skin was so soft… and he jerked away like he had been burned, hoping that his sudden departure would keep her from noticing the blush on his face. "Heh, sorry."

Reyna waved him away, trying desperately not to let him see her own coloring. "It's okay. I think I'll leave Aurum and Argentum behind on this one; I don't want them getting hurt."

Leo nodded in agreement, and walked down the staircase to put her dogs into a stable, leaving Reyna to finish her jellybeans in silence. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself as she frantically wondered why Leo was getting that blushing/ridiculous reaction from her. She had to remind herself that the only one who should even come close to getting that sort of reaction from her was Victor; Victor, and no one else. And yet, here was Leo, making her blush like a schoolgirl! But it would go away, she thought, after this quest. If they lived, then they would go back to their regular lives. For Reyna, back to New Rome and to Victor. For Leo, back to… wherever. For some reason, this made Reyna's chest hurt, like an invisible weight was pressing down on her; She had a reason to go home, Leo did not. Jason's coin burned in her pocket as she thought of what rash decisions Leo could make; The most dangerous kind of man was the one who had nothing to lose.

Speaking of said man, she was worried that she didn't hear much noise from below; her dogs didn't take kindly to strangers. Standing up and walking down the stairs, Reyna didn't hear screams of terror…. she heard laughing. Now an all new level of concerned, Reyna burst through the stable door to see Leo playing with Aurum and Argentum. Her mouth fell open in shock; her vicious metallic hounds were running around and yipping like puppies! Romping around and wagging their tails, leaping into the air and barking joyfully… and there in the middle of it, was Leo. Speaking of him, he looked up and saw her standing there, and instantly gave a sheepish smile.

"Heh, sorry. They just wanted to play." he muttered.

Reyna raised an amused eyebrow. "Oh, I guess they like you then. Usually, they rip off arms rather than playing." she responded. Leo gave a ridiculously big smile.

"Well, I guess I'm just special! After all, who can resist… this!" he said, and dramatically flexed his arms. Reyna rolled her eyes and shoved him backward, partly to get him focused, and partly to stop him from showing off his strong arms and her blush.

_Gods dammit, _Reyna thought to herself. "Come on, Valdez, we've got some stuff to do today! We can't waste time." she said indifferently.

Leo nodded and whistled to the hounds, who both bolted into one of the larger stables. Closing and locking the door, Leo now turned to Reyna and gestured toward the door with an eccentric flourish. "Shall we, _mi reina_?"

Reyna gave a half-smile and walked out the door with Leo. Instantly, the bright Hawaiian sun made her glad she had worn a tank top, less glad that she had worn jeans. Lucky for her, the tropical breeze the floated along the mountain they were anchored cooled her slightly, and now she turned to Leo, who seemed to know where he was going. "So where are we headed?"

"We'll follow this road down to the nearest town, and then catch a tourist bus up to Mauna Loa. I planned it out with Festus last night," he explained, seeing her look of surprise. "It's only a couple of miles, not too long of a walk."

Reyna smiled slightly. "Do I give the impression I can't walk two miles? Or have you not seen Roman training?"

Leo laughed loudly. "As a matter of fact, I have seen it; it's pretty intense. And no, you don't look incapable of anything, _mi reina_." Reyna smiled wider at the compliment, and Leo dramatically pointed at her. "Aha! She can smile! And here I thought I was the only funny one!"

Reyna snorted. "You? The only funny one? Please, even Octavian is funnier than you."

Leo put a hand on his chest. "_Ay! Como me duele! _Why do you hurt me in such a way?"

"Because he makes a fool out of himself without meaning to, while you have to work at it."

Leo laughed again. "True enough, _mi reina._ But I didn't know you had a sense of humor, even if it's drier than the Sahara Desert; I thought I'd be the only one talking on our _paseo_."

"_Pobrecito."_ Reyna responded, barely covering her giggles.

Leo stopped. "You speak Spanish? And you never told me?" he said with a false trace of hurt in his tone.

"_Nunca me preguntas, _you never asked." she said, happily slipping back into her home language. Leo smiled brightly and they began to converse in Spanish for the rest of the walk. Reyna was pretty fluent, with only minor screwups here and there. Leo felt elated to be talking in his native tongue with someone again; They had more in common than he originally thought, and now he smiled at being able to share something more personal with a girl like Reyna. _A girl like Reyna… totally gorgeous, smart, strong, and out of my league._

All too soon, they reached the town and arrived at the bus stop, only to find the bus was just about to leave. Chasing frantically after it, they managed to get it to stop and quickly boarded; Leo payed for Reyna and they chose seats next to each other. A smiling blonde woman stood at the front of the bus, and once they had started to rumble along, she went up to the microphone and began to speak. "Hi everyone! My name is Celeste!" she said in an overly perky voice. "Welcome to our tour of the big island! Our next stop will be the largest volcano above ground; Mauna Loa! Did you know that this volcano is only dormant, and may still erupt at any time?" she questioned eagerly.

Reyna looked ready to vomit, and even Leo felt a little sick from the sugary tone. It was obvious she was just catering to the tourists. "Fascinating." Reyna mumbled under her breath.

A fat tourist in the front raised a sweaty, meaty arm. "How long is this ride going to be?" he asked loudly in a nasal tone; Reyna cringed at his voice. But Celeste smiled through it.

"We are about twenty minutes away! How about a story to pass the time?" Someone farted in the back row. "Wonderful! Let's go with an ancient legend, shall we?" Celeste clapped her hands together and her blonde hair seemed to glow brighter. Her tone dropped slightly as she began to talk; neither of the pair was expecting it.

"Long ago, there used to be a huge monster that lived under the volcano. He was known to violent tantrums and would erupt and destroy the island and the villagers. Unless the natives would sacrifice a virgin girl twice a year, then the evil being would destroy everything!" Leo and Reyna were both listening intently now; Celeste seemed to notice this and smiled at them. "Of course, this all just folklore. But legend says that the sun god finally chained the monster at the bottom of Mauna Loa, instructing two of his daughters to watch over the dangerous thing and make sure it never escaped. Some say that they are still there to this very day…" her voice trailed off.

Leo now knew this girl wasn't human; this was no coincidence, she was here for them. He quickly looked over her shining blonde hair, sky blue eyes, and honey-tanned skin. Where had he seen that before? Before he could think further, Reyna touched his arm and leaned in towards him. "Leo, she's not human." she muttered, further messing with his mind by whispering in his ear; her breath tickled his neck, and Leo suppressed a shudder. "Do you think she can help?" Leo moved his head slightly out of her reach to clear his thoughts.

"I don't know." he murmured, staring once more at their tour guide. The pair was in silent thought for the rest of the time, observing their perky tour guide as she spouted off more pointless facts. Finally, the bus arrived, and Leo and Reyna waited until everyone else had left before standing up.

"Well well well, never thought I would see a Roman and a Greek together." came an amused voice. Celeste. Both demigods whipped around to see the golden toned woman laugh. "I know who you are, and why you're here. And I'm here to guide you."

Reyna raised an eyebrow. "And we should trust you because?"

Celeste smiled brightly. "I'm Celeste, daughter of Apollo, or Phoebus. My sister, Solange, and I guard the cherufe you're looking for." Seeing their looks of incredulity made her smile brighter. "Oh yes, we know exactly why you're here, and who you are. A boy came here earlier and told us he was waiting for you at the top. What a darling lad, coming all the way from New Rome!"

Reyna felt the color drain from her face; Leo felt his hands curl in anger. "And who is our visitor, exactly?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"He called himself Victor, and he's waiting up there with Solange. Since I'll be your guide at Mauna Loa," she said, exiting the bus and gesturing for them to follow her, "Please follow me this way!." she merrily chirped and briskly set off up the path.

**Oooh so Victor is here now? My my, Leo better learn to control his temper! But maybe he can help them a bit as they set off to collect the first shard? Who knows? Oh wait...**

**Read and Review, ****_por favor, _****and I shall see you again soon!**

**Lilypad009**


	14. Chapter 14

**Salutations! So I've decided to be generous and give you guys an extra chapter this week, especially since so many of you seem eager for the update. And since I can't deny you guys, I will happily oblige and spoil you with this chapter. But be warned, you should be more careful what you wish for, especially since I won't be able to update for a while again.**

**Enjoy, my dears, enjoy!**

Chapter 14

Reyna and Leo walked up in silence; it was only broken by Celeste's little quips here and there about facts about Hawaii. Reyna walked with eyes lowered to the ground, desperately trying to figure out why her boyfriend was here; Leo walked poker-straight, eyes locked ahead and jaw clenched. That stupid little _cabrón _was ruining this quest! Granted, there was not much to be ruined seeing as it was almost suicidally dangerous, but he would rather face a thousand cherufes than see Victor with Reyna. The last time he had seen a woman in someone else's arms…. His eyes closed in painful remembrance, and he let the scenes from the past play through his mind in order to escape his current anger….

"_Leo, you shouldn't have come back." Calypso said, biting her lip. Leo felt his world crumble underneath his feet, and it took all of his willpower not to crumple at her feet. "Calypso…" he said, his voice full of pain, "Why not? Did you think I would just leave you?" She looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes. "I thought you weren't coming back, no one ever finds Ogygia twice! How was I to know that you could?" she asked angrily, swiping at the tears in her eyes. Leo felt his heart break at the sight of her tears. "Well, I did. So what's the problem?" Her lips trembled, and she let out a shaky breath. Then, she fell down on her knees and buried her face in her hands. "Leo… Leo… I'm so sorry, I'm so so sorry.." she sobbed. Leo quickly kneeled down and took her in his arms, ignoring how she recoiled from his touch. "Hey, hey sunshine," he spoke in soothing tones, "You did nothing wrong, mi amor." She looked up at him disbelievingly. "Yes, yes I did!" She threw her hands up in the air and began to curse the gods, using more colorful language than Leo thought possible. "Why send him back! You knew! You knew! You knew!" She screamed at the sky, ignoring Leo's hurt and confused stare; what on earth was she going on about? Finally, Calypso turned to him. Her eyes teared at the sight of him again. Taking a couple deep breaths, she opened her mouth to speak, until a masculine voice cut her off._

"_Hey babe! Who are you yelling at?"_

"Leo?" Reyna's voice shook him out of the past, and the sight of her calm dark eyes almost sent him over the edge; even so, it took a massive amount of mental focus to pull himself back into the present and not start firing at things. His own eyes must have been pretty terrifying, because both Reyna and Celeste took a step back.

Celeste eyed his curled fists. "Be careful, son of Hephaestus. Your fire powers will alert him if you use them."

"Leo?" Reyna softly questioned again. "What is it?"

Leo looked her dead in the eyes. "Ogygia." he said flatly. Reyna nodded in comprehension, and looked unsure of what to say. She started to reach for his hand… Leo snatched it away as fast as possible and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He didn't want her pity; he didn't want anyone's pity! Reyna looked a bit hurt by his actions, but simply folded her own arms and looked away.

Celeste quickly glanced between the couple. _For a child of fire, he can be pretty cold._ "We're almost here." she spoke quietly, not wanting to arouse any more anger. This seemed to placate them both, and they nodded and kept walking.

Finally, they reacked the summit. They heard a pair of voices, soon seeing a beautiful golden-haired woman chatting amiably with none other than Victor frickin' Sage. Leo felt his vision turn red slightly, and told himself to stop acting this way; Reyna wouldn't like it.

"Victor?" Reyna called in a questioning voice. He turned sharply, said goodbye to Solange, and running over to them, picking up Reyna in a hug and bringing her close for a kiss; Leo turned away and walked onward to Solange, beginning to strike up a conversation. Reyna removed herself from Victor's kiss quickly and patted his cheek. "How did you get here? Why are you here?" she asked.

Victor chuckled and brought her closer. "I came to help you on this quest, and I have some ideas for how to get the shards." Looking over his shoulder, he spoke in lower tones. "And I don't trust Velasquez." Reyna gave him a glare.

"It's Valdez, and why not? He's been nothing but a gentleman."

Victor sighed. "You've only been with him for a couple of days, Reyna. You don't know him."

Reyna bit her tongue to keep herself from retaliating. Was he insinuating that Leo would do something to her? Or that she would be unfaithful? Leo would _never_ hurt her, that much had been made clear in the brief time they had been together, and Victor knew she would never cheat on him. So why do this?

"We were doing fine on our own, and you don't seem to trust me." Reyna said a little harshly, trying to defend both herself and Leo.

"It's him I don't trust, not you babe, never you." Victor went in for a kiss again, but Reyna brushed it aside. She didn't want his pity. He took her hand instead and walked over to where Leo and the two sisters were talking. The sisters both looked up to see them and promptly cut off the conversation, leaving Victor and Reyna no clue as to what they had been talking about.

_Leo had shuffled over to the other girl, and she smiled very prettily at him, but with a knowing look that made Leo feel uneasy. "My name is Solange," she said in a lovely voice, almost like she was singing. "We know why you're here, Victor was just telling us." she said breathlessly. Leo glanced over at the entwined pair and looked away disgustedly. The sisters looked at one another and giggled. Leo glared irritably at the pair. "What's up with you two?" he practically snarled. "Temper, temper, child of fire!" teased Celeste. "We know you like the praetor." Leo felt his cheeks burn, and tried vainly to deny it. "I-I do not!" The sisters giggled. "Of course you don't," sang Solange, smiling mischieviously at him. "Oh, for certain you don't," cooed Celeste, "That's why you are planning the ginger's graphic demise." Leo balled his hands. "So what if I am?" The sisters laughed. "My goodness, you really have it bad, don't you? Is Calypso so soon gone from your thoughts?" Leo's hair started to smoke slightly, his rage bubbling close to the surface. "She's never gone from my thoughts," he said in a deadly quiet voice, "She's always in my dreams and on my mind. Reyna is merely a distraction, that's all, if that's what you mean by 'I like her'." he finished harshly. Taking a deep breath, Leo concentrated, and his hair stopped smoking. "A distraction?" countered Celeste, "That's not true and you know it. I'm sure she'll figure out her own feelings eventually, but you need to accept your own, Leo Valdez." Leo looked at the two in disbelief. "What do you mean-" They cut him off as they looked up, and he turned see Reyna and Victor, hand in hand. _

"What's up?" Victor asked, glancing at the trio. The sisters looked disapprovingly at him, and Leo felt briefly pleased that no matter what nonsense they spoke, they were on his side.

"We can guide you no further than the mouth of the volcano," began Solange, "the rest is up to you." She and her sister turned and began to walk with Leo, leaving Reyna and Victor behind. Reyna felt a twinge of fury when she saw the two girls loop their arms through Leo's, becoming even more angered when she saw him laugh and wink at the sisters. Why couldn't she get him to cheer up like that? Was her company not good enough for him? Victor was looking ahead and deep in thought, so Reyna was allowed to smolder in silence.

Upon reaching the crater, the Celeste and Solange each gave Leo a peck on the cheek (Reyna briefly wondered how much trouble she would get in if she killed Apollo's daughters here and now) and wished the trio the best before vanishing into thin air. Leo leaned over the mouth of the volcano, muttering to himself and tapping his toolbelt. Finally, a rope appeared from nowhere, and Leo tied one end to a large boulder and threw the other down the volcano. Lowering himself down a few feet, he disappeared from view. Reyna peeked over the edge, ignoring Victor's protective arm, and saw a light as a signal to follow.

Grabbing the rope, Reyna lowered herself down, Victor went next. She felt herself descending into the darkness, hoping against hope that there was some sort of bottom to the rope. After a couple more minutes, Reyna felt a tug on her shoulder and almost screamed. She turned to find Leo holding a small flashlight and motioning for her to step off at this ledge. He reached out and took her in his strong arms before gently lowering her to the platform. Reyna gestured upwards, and Leo let out an annoyed huff before making the same motions to Victor, who lightly landed beside them on the ledge. Leo beckoned the two of them forward into a small tunnel, where they began to walk.

"Leo," Reyna whispered, "Why aren't you using your fire?"

"Our golden sisters told me he could detect my fire powers," Leo said quietly, still looking straight ahead, "Better safe than sorry." After about ten minutes of walking on a downhill slope, the path split into two separate caves.

"One of these leads to the cherufe," said Victor, speaking slightly louder than Reyna was comfortable with, "And the other leads to the shard."

Leo looked sharply at Victor. "And how the hell would you know that? he growled.

Victor didn't seem surprised at the venom. "Because I just do. Reyna and I will go to the shard, you go to the monster." Leo looked he was about to tell Victor where to go shove it, when Reyna placed a hand on Leo's arm.

"It makes the most sense. You're the only one who even stands a chance of surviving the Cherufe. Please, listen to him." she spoke quietly.

Leo shook off her arm and mumbled curses in three different languages, pacing around the room before coming to a halt. "It's too easy," he muttered, running a hand through his dark curls. "We should have run into something by now… No all powerful monster wouldn't have at least something: A trap, a guard, or an ambush… Something! It doesn't make any sense!"

"Maybe we should be grateful that the ol' Cherufe doesn't have any brains then?" Victor suggested, taking Reyna's hand. "Can't you just accept it?"

Leo shot him a withering look. "I've learned not to take things at face value," he said darkly, "But if you think it's right, we have nothing else to go on." came the small sigh of defeat.

"Be careful," Leo warned as he started down the path that led to the Cherufe. "If you need anything, just yell."

Victor nodded and started to turn.

"You too. I-We don't want you getting killed." Reyna quickly interjected, ignoring Victor's look. Leo gave her a pitying glance and threw her an extra flashlight before heading down the darker path. The couple stayed where they were until his footsteps faded. Then, Victor beckoned to Reyna.

"This way." he said, and the two of them plunged into the darkness with only Leo's gift for light. Reyna felt herself clinging to the flashlight as if protecting it would somehow protect Leo from what he would face, something that could potentially end his life. A twinge of fear rang through her heart, and she prayed to her mother that Leo would be victorious. Victor said nothing, not even holding her hand as they went continued to walk. They both stopped when they heard something that bubbled like lava, but Victor pressed onward, and Reyna followed. Eventually, they heard a loud, barrelling laughter, which only continued to get louder until they turned a corner, and Reyna finally knew what a Cherufe looked like.

It was definitely a man of magma, but using _man _to describe it was really stretching it. The thing was human like in stature, but that was the end of the comparison. Steaming rocks stood out to form a gargantuan shape that looked like a half-human monster, with scalding lava peeking out from within the cracks of the being, creating an eerie, glowing effect that made the Cherufe all the more terrifying. Two molten-red eyes gave some indication of a face, and a leering fiery smile folded the face almost in half. Sharp stalagmites hung towards the end of the arm, forming dangerously jagged claws, and even though the Cherufe was sitting down, it was obviously, menacingly massive. Worst of all was the tepid heat that seemed to be emanating from the beast itself; a hot, steamy, broiling fog hung throughout the domain.

Before Reyna could pull back, she felt herself shoved forward and into view; the Cherufe turned it's scalding stare in her direction.

"Well well well, what do we have here? A pair of brave little demigods come to my lonely lair? You shouldn't have." It gave a surprisingly bone-chilling laugh, especially since it was such a fiery creature. His molten eyes turned on Reyna, making her feel an all new level of terror.

"A virgin woman? Oh my, today _is_ my lucky day!"

Reyna tried to control the shudders that threatened to rack her body; she needed to stay calm if she wanted any chance of getting out alive. To her immense relief, she felt Victor's arms around her. "You really think I would let you touch her?" he growled.

The Cherufe smiled and winked at Reyna, "Call me Pele, dear. I'm ever so glad you could come to see me. Unfortunately, I doubt you will get what you came for."

Seeing her cold stare, he leered at her. "I know you come for Gaea's treasure, or Terra, I suppose it would be to a Roman like you. Pity such a pretty thing like you will die so young."

Pele's eyes gleamed brighter. "Lucky me to get a pretty thing like you. It's been so long since I've had the company of a woman; Those damned sisters usually manage to prevent any from coming here. But not today, not today." Victor's arms tightened around Reyna to the point of pain, but she bit her lip and hoped he would release her soon.

Pele turned his enormous head towards Victor. "Are you going to fight me boy? Try to protect your _lover_?" he sneered, putting a lot of emphasis on _lover._

Reyna looked up at Victor and tried to control the panic that was welling up inside of her. "Victor," she warned, "don't do anything stupid. If you love me, let me handle this."

Victor looked down at Reyna and smiled a cold smile, unlike anything she had ever seen before.

"Oh Reyna, if only someone loved you."

**Ooooh bet you didn't see that coming! Please don't kill me! *ducks under a table* I'm just the author, not the... wait...**

**Okay, so maybe I planned this... but please Read and Review, and I will see you all again!**

**Lilypad009**


	15. Chapter 15

**Ayyyyy wazzup? Last chapter was a bit of a cliffhanger, wasn't it? Of course, as a reader (hey I read too!) I know it's immensely frustrating, but as a writer (*cough* Riordan *cough*), it's extremely entertaining, and I do hope you will forgive me for making you squirm so. But maybe this can make up for it! *Whips out large pen* For right now until February 28th, you can vote! I'm creating a poll to determine one thing that will be in a future chapter: Who would you like to see embarrassed the most? Leo or Reyna? I've been toying with both scenarios, but I would like some input from my wonderful readers, so please do go check out the poll, or leave a review with your answer. But enough about future chapters, let's continue reading! The suspense is killing me!**

**Enjoy, my friends, enjoy!**

Chapter 15

Reyna felt the world stop; her breath caught in her throat, and her heart stopped beating.

"_If only someone loved you."_

She vaguely heard the deep booming laugh of Pele. "Very good, Victor! You really had her going there, didn't you?"

Reyna felt him start to move away from her, and her muscles reacted. In one fluid motion, she whipped out her knife and pinned him to the wall, her blade at his neck. To her surprise, he seemed perfectly unperturbed by her behavior. In fact, he laughed.

"Now now, Reyna, let's be rational."

"Rational about what? That you are a traitor to New Rome and to me?!" Reyna said through gritted teeth, fighting against the anger that threatened to overcome her. The best she could do now was to remain numb, calm, and collected. "Treason is punishable by death," she snarled.

Victor smiled sinisterly. "Well, you'll know all about death soon, won't you Reyna?"

Reyna felt like a branding iron was being pressed to her middle, looking down to see a tendril of lava shoot her away from her vile boyfriend and into an opposite wall. Slamming hard against the heated rock, Reyna felt her breath leave her and struggled to regain her footing. Glancing down, she could see that it had burnt clean through her shirt and the skin of her stomach was scorched. Her heart thudding painfully in her chest, Reyna could only spit out one word: "Why?"

Victor laughed again. "Why? Dear Reyna, why is the reason that I've been working for them the whole time. Being a measly son of Ceres, I wasn't going to get any glory for myself. I won't even use my powers: That's how I don't claim my mother as my own; Such trivial power on _plants_! She may have claimed me, but I don't want to be her son. What a pathetic waste of power! I could have been the son of Jupiter, or Neptune! But no! It was some stupid little farming goddess who gave birth to me, and doomed me to a life of mediocrity! But I won't have it!" His eyes lit up. "I've joined Terra, and she promises me glory beyond my wildest dreams if I help protect her from little brats like you!"

Reyna had heard enough; Throwing her knife as fast as she could, she was pleased to see it nail Victor in the shoulder. He bellowed in pain and clutched his arm, while the Cherufe sent another threatening lava curl over towards her. Reyna barely managed to dodge it, feeling the skin on her arm being singed. Her stomach throbbed with angry red welts and charred skin, and Reyna felt it harder to stand. Leaning against the wall for support, she hoped they wouldn't notice.

Pele smiled again at her. "Now now, pretty one, let's play nice! Victor has been awfully kind to lead that wretched boy away from you and bring you here, and now I will dine well tonight!"

Reyna felt herself growing sick from something else besides the pain. "Leo? What did you do to him?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"He's been led down a path that leads straight to my favorite torture chamber, a mirror maze that never ends, where he will either die of thirst or hang himself on the noose I provided." answered the Cherufe with a bloodthirsty grin. "Two demigods in one evening, it is _truly_ my lucky day."

Reyna felt her heart plummet. "No… Leo…" she murmured. Her shaking muscles could no longer hold her upright, and she fell to her knees.

Victor, in the meanwhile, had made his way over to where she had crumpled, and stood her up for a moment. "You vicious little harpy, you think you can hurt me?" And he slapped her across the face.

"_Si vuelves a tocarla, voy a romper su cuello."_ Suddenly, Victor was flying away from her, and there was Leo, standing in front of her with eyes blazing. _He's alive!_

Victor landed hard on a nearby shelf, using his good arm to hoist himself up. "You mexican bastard! I can't speak your stupid language!" he spat.

Leo's eyes glowed brighter and bared his teeth. " 'If you touch her again, I'll break your neck.' How's that sound, you pathetic little piece of-"

"Leo! Watch out!"

Leo barely managed to duck in time as a wave of lava went right where his head was. "Reyna!" he called, grabbing onto her hand. "Are you alright?"

"Just dandy." she said through gritted teeth. Leo took one look at the burn across her stomach and stood up to his full height, his face contorted with rage.

"_Pinche cabrón! Te mataré!" _he cried, flames shooting out his hands at Victor, who barely managed to roll away. His whole body began to ignite, and soon, Leo was standing in the middle of his own inferno.

"Ah! So you're the child of fire!" Leo's flames fanned higher at the Cherufe's voice. "Well then, let's see how you fare against lava! Let's see if you're as resistant as your hideous father!" bellowed Pele.

Another wave came crashing towards Leo; Reyna felt herself yell his name again, and was surprised to see that after the wave was gone, Leo still stood there, charred clothes and all. Pressing his wrist, Leo was suddenly holding a large hammer, and launching himself off the platform, swung it at the Cherufe. A fiery battle ensued, with Victor nowhere to be seen and Reyna struggling to stand up and see who was winning. Seeing Leo battle the vicious creature made her adrenaline flow, and she was able to ignore the fire in her stomach to see the fire in front of her. Leo was incredibly skilled, but the cherufe was immortal; Both were fire resistant, but Leo was still part human. He could very well lose.

_To defeat them you cannot look through your own eyes…_

Reyna thought back desperately to anything that could help Leo. She didn't know what that last line had met, but she prayed to Minerva for any sort of help. _Please, let me save him. He can't last forever._ Nothing came. Reyna turned fearfully to the battle below; Leo was still on his feet, but the child of fire had his heat limits, and he was pushing the amount of fiery punishment his body could take. Small burns were already starting to appear; Time was running out. White spots danced before her eyes as the fire forced her to squint to see the two warriors, hoping the searing heat and bright light wouldn't burn her eyes. Suddenly, Reyna felt the oddest thought enter her head: _Close your eyes._

Not knowing where it came from, but desperate to try anything, Reyna took a shaky breath and closed her eyes. While the sounds of the battle raged on around her, Reyna looked at the inside of her eyelids, and saw the most unusual thing: a tiny glowing orb in the center of what appeared to be Pele. And suddenly, she understood.

"Leo! Close your eyes and jump through his chest!"

Leo looked up at her like she was crazy, barely dodging another flaming onslaught.  
"What are you talking about?" he yelled.

"Just do it!"

To her surprise, Leo closed his eyes and leaped straight through Pele in a small magmatic opening. Pele bellowed in pain and clawed at himself, but no Leo emerged. Reyna felt her heart stop; had she killed him?

A sudden gasp drew Reyna's eyes to a tall figure climbing quickly out of the larger being, and landing on a small platform; His body was entirely red, and he was holding something in his fist. Reyna drew breath sharply at his poor state, but soon heard an all new gasp that turned her gaze the other way.

Pele was slowly sliding below the lava, moaning in pain. "No please…" he murmured, "I didn't mean to lose it, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Have mercy… please… have mercy…." With a final slurp, the earth sucked in the monster, and Pele was no more. The cherufe was dead.

Reyna exhaled; They had won! But at what cost? She looked over the side again to see Leo doubled over, gasping for breath. How badly was he hurt?

"Leo?" she called tentatively.

Leo's head snapped up, and he smiled at her. "Reyna!" he breathed, and began to make his way up to her, tucking the small object into his toolbelt. As he climbed up the rocky slope, he quickly replayed the past minutes... _When Victor had slapped her, Leo had been so enraged that he would have killed him right there and then, wanting nothing more than to rip him limb from limb; Leo had never wanted to hurt anyone so badly before, and it almost scared him. But what scared him even more was Reyna's injury, and he couldn't bear seeing someone hurt her. He was lucky, he had sensed the beginning mechanics of a trap when he was walking down the path and had promptly turned around. Coming back into the fork of the cave, he had heard the deep voice of the Cherufe, and had quickly sneaked down there to have the element of surprise. _

Grabbing hold of Reyna's ledge, Leo managed to hoist himself upwards and walked towards her. Seeing the horrid burn on his stomach and the red mark on her face made his blood boil, but seeing her tired eyes made him want to pick her up and hold her close. "Leo," she said quietly.

Hearing her say his name made him feel stronger, and without a second thought, scooped her up in his arms and began to carry her up the path. "I can walk," she muttered weakly.

Leo chuckled. "Have you seen those burns? I'd be _loco_ if I let you walk." he said lightly, using spanish to help comfort her. It must have worked, because she smiled slightly.

"Have you seen yourself? You're practically a lobster!" she chuckled, her weak smile growing wider. But then it disappeared in the next second as a certain traitor swam to the front of her mind.

"Victor… he.. he…" she couldn't finish, and she began to cry, which sent tears streaming down her face, and onto her stomach, causing the angry burns to flare up brighter and more painfully. Leo felt his rage return at her sobs, and he swore right then and there that if he ever saw that ginger coward again, he'd make him suffer ten times more than what he did to Reyna. But for now, he would do everything he could to help his queen; he held her closer and murmured into her hair.

"Shhh. _mi reina… calmate… eres segura… _you're safe… shhh…" Eventually, she began to pass out from the pain of the salty tears in her wounds.

"Leo… don't let go of me." she whispered, fearing her fall and seeing her world fade to black.

She could hear the caring smile in his voice that made her heart flutter. "I'll never let go, _mi reina_."

**Awww, how sweet! It looks like Leo's starting to recognize his feelings a bit more, eh? Please review and leave some thoughts on your thoughts thus far, as I eagerly await your responses. And don't remember to vote for your choice, and I will see you all again soon!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Greetings once again! I'm happy to see some new reviewers as well as some old faces, and without any more delay... here is the next chapter! Enjoy!**

Chapter 16

After a long hike back to mouth of the volcano, Leo was slightly surprised to see the celestial sisters standing near the tip, anxiously looking downward. When they saw him peeking out, they let out shouts of delight before hurrying to help him up. Upon seeing Reyna in his arms, they let out sad, sympathetic noises and reached out to take her. Leo's arms tightened.

"No… I've got her."

Celeste and Solange smiled at each other knowingly (Leo felt his cheeks heat up), before turning quietly and motioning him down the path. Still holding tightly to his praetor, Leo walked briskly, hoping to reach the Argo II soon. He was recovering quickly because of his immunity to fire; already the redness had started to fade, leaving only a slight welt where Pele had hit him once. But Reyna, as strong of a woman as she was, was not invincible, and certainly not fire proof. Somehow, the bus was waiting for them as Leo hopped quickly onto it, not even bothering to pay; the sisters followed him and sat in the seats across, watching Leo's worried face as he looked down at his queen, delicately brushing strands of hair off her face and murmuring prayers of healing. As soon as the bus stopped, Leo still held Reyna as he quietly bid the sisters goodbye, and they waved happily at him as the bus pulled away. Amidst the cloud of dust, Leo started quickly up the path, hoping he wasn't too late. Arriving at his ship, Leo slammed his shoulder into the side, revealing the panel. Stepping swiftly inside, Leo walked up the stairs and down the hall toward Reyna's room.

Shifting her weight a little more to one arm, Leo opened the door. As he moved inside, Reyna gave a small groan of pain.

"Shh… it's okay.." he said reassuringly, setting her down gently on the bed. Reyna struggled to sit up, but Leo held her down. "No, you'll hurt yourself."

"Bag… Wine…. will help…" she muttered incoherently. Leo seemed to get the message though, as he got up and kneeled in front of one of her bags. He opened the bag to see some of her clothes lying on top. Praying he didn't find any of her undergarments, Leo stuck his hands in and swiftly searched through the clothing, his eyes shut tight and cheeks flushed red when they bumped into different pieces of cloth. After several awkward minutes of fumbling around (Leo was devoutly thankful that Reyna was pretty out of it), he moved over to the bag next to it. Bracing himself again, he slipped his hand inside the bag and was pleased when it hit a distinctly glass object. Pulling out the bottle, he once again turned to Reyna, who seemed to be struggling to stay conscious.

"Reyna.. Rey…" he murmured gently. Her eyes fluttered open, and Leo felt his heart constrict at the sight of her black… no, they were more deep brown eyes staring up at him. _So beautiful…_ he thought wistfully. Her voice was weak and scratchy as she began to mumble.

"It will heal… pour a bit on stomach… helps wounds…" she struggled to say. Twisting the top off, Leo delicately poured a little of the wine on her stomach. Small billows of smoke arose as Reyna grimaced in pain, but was quickly replaced with a more relaxed expression and a small sigh of relief graced her lips. Leo smiled at the serene look upon her face; he couldn't stand it when she was in pain.

"I think… I need to sleep now…" she weakly chuckled, her eyelids sliding shut. Leo stood up to leave, and began to slowly make his way over to the door. Hearing her deep breathing behind him, he turned to see the most awe-inspiring thing he had ever seen: Reyna asleep, her hair (now slightly charred and flying out of it's braid) framing her face with a few delicate strands, her long dark lashes, and her lips slightly parted. Leo felt himself becoming more fixated on her lips; soft, full, light pink lips… And the most odd thought ever struck him like Cupid's bow: He wanted to kiss her. An image sprouted in his mind of him kissing her sent an ecstatic jolt through his body, and now as he stared at her sleeping, it was the perfect time…

Her recent tears still stained her cheeks, and the truth slammed into Leo like a ton of bricks: Victor. Leo took a step back as the sheer emotional force knocked him down. Even if he never loved her, she loved him… and now her heart was broken. There was no way he would have any chance with her, especially if her heart closed forever. The mere thought of never seeing her smile again was agonizing, and Leo knew he would have to work hard if he even wanted to see her happy again. And if that wasn't with him… Leo swallowed hard, _so be it._

But he couldn't just leave her, not now with all of these new feelings surging forward. Instead, he tiptoed over to where she lay, and as gently as he possibly could, Leo leaned down and pressed a feather-light kiss to her forehead. Her skin was so warm beneath his lips, and Leo stood up carefully, swallowing the hunger to taste her lips, and quietly exited the room, heading for the main area and make preparations to depart. "Sweet dreams, _mi reina._" he whispered before closing the door.

Reyna, in the meanwhile, was in a fantasy land. The wine-elixir, when it was poured onto her skin, eased her pain tremendously, and also created a bit of an intoxicated effect… Consequentially, Reyna felt a bit loopy and was not the least bit perturbed when she thought she saw Leo staring at her for a while. As she watched him through heavy lids, she saw him bear down upon her and she felt the most warm, delicious feeling spread through her body when he placed his lips on her forehead. After he left, Reyna fell in out of consciousness, drifting somewhere between reality and fantasy, as memories floated past her in hazy remembrance.

_Days with her father and sister passed by, sipping lemonade on the front porch as the summer sun blazed overhead. Hylla was racing down the path with a wooden sword, happily yelling Reyna's name. Little Reyna was hidden in the bushes nearby, hoping the large fronds would conceal her from view. "Reyna? Mi niña, ¿dónde estás?" her father called in a singsong voice as he walked down the path. Reyna raced out from her hiding spot and tackled her father in a hug. "Papa! Papa! Estoy aqui! I am... here!" she said, proud to be practicing her english. Her father smiled, his thick black hair matched both her's and Hylla's perfectly. Speaking of Hylla, she emerged from nowhere with a loud yell, jumping on her father's back. "Enrique! Reyna!" she happily shrilled her father's and sister's names. Enrique Ramírez-Arellano smiled happily at his two girls. "Mis hijas, i que lindas eres ! Su madre está orgulloso de los dos, y estoy tambien." he said warmly, expressing his pride in both of his beautiful daughters._

_Flashing forward a few years, Reyna was now almost thirteen years old, standing by C.C's Spa and Resort, blankly staring ahead as the whole island was engulfed in flames. This had been her home after the death of their father, and now it was gone; completely ravaged by pirates. She could hear the coarse male laughter that made the hair on her neck stand up straight as the infamous Black Beard continued to pillage and plunder through the rubble. Hylla put a hand on her shoulder. "Reyna, we need to move." she said in a shaky voice. Reyna looked at her sister, wanting to ask why they both weren't more devastated that their home and friends were destroyed. In the distance, they both heard a woman scream, quickly silenced. The sudden and eerie quietness made them both turn their back on their once-home. Hoping they wouldn't be spotted, the sisters stole a lifeboat, pushing out to sea, and hoping there was some way they could find land again. As they sloshed through the waves, Reyna hugged her arms and turned away from the wreckage, making note of the weapons they had found at the bottom of the boat. "Reyna, remember what Miss C.C. told us? About our mother?" Reyna smiled in spite of the grim situation; it was her favorite story. "Our mother is a goddess, and she is always watching over us." recited Reyna, feeling marginally better. Hylla nodded encouragingly. "I know she will protect us now, whoever she is; she won't abandon her daughters." Even now as they spoke, Reyna felt a voice telling her that they would live, and that _she _would always watch over them. With that comforting thought, Reyna allowed herself to be rocked to sleep as the boat gently bobbed in the waves, hoping the smell of smoke on her clothes wouldn't linger._

_Two years later, Reyna was being crowned Praetor for her excellent service in the Third Cohort, as well as the acts of valor over her brief time and Camp Jupiter. She kept a modestly pleased expression, a small smile on her face as she ascends the steps to take her place next to the other Praetor, a rather handsome boy by the name of Jason Grace, son of Jupiter. He had been here since he was a little kid, and she was elated to be working with such a strong warrior. A warrior: that's what Reyna was, just like her mother. As she sat in the throne, Jason looked over at her with a warm and bright smile; Reyna felt her heart skip a beat as she looked into his electric blue eyes. Jason was so strong and courageous, so attractive, so Roman... He seemed to be thinking the same about her, because as some other members were giving their speeches, he reached over and squeezed her hand, mouthing 'Congratulations'. Reyna felt her skin tingle where his hand was, and happily allowed herself to think of the old legend with Praetors… usually they ended up together… her heart leapt at thought of them ending up together, and she couldn't wait to lead with him, side-by-side. He hadn't let go of her hand until they stood for the anthem..._

_One year after that, Reyna is anxiously pacing in the Principia, alone. She is wearing her most regal armor and toga, hoping that it would improve her look, especially since _he _was coming. Jason. He was coming home! After the quest with Percy, Hazel, and Frank, Reyna was pleased that with the Greeks coming, there was a chance she would see Jason again. Jason, whom she loved. Jason, her wonderful, wonderful Jason. The door burst open and jolted her from her thoughts, and Percy Jackson poked his head in. "Reyna?" She nodded at him, feeling slightly queasy, but keeping her stoic expression. "They'll be here soon, why don't you come on out?" Reyna nodded silently again, taking a deep breath, before striding out into the sun with her new fellow Praetor. It was time to see her love again, and this time she wouldn't let him go..._

A sudden lurch from the ship awoke Reyna from her thoughts and caused a slight twinge of pain to shoot through her. Sitting up carefully, Reyna shifted around and shook herself out of the hallucinogenic memories she had been having. Suddenly, a more prominent, realistic one came surging to her brain: Leo kissing her forehead. Reyna reached up and lightly touched where his lips had been. _It was a nice dream_, she thought absently, slightly lamenting that it wasn't real. As she thought about the tender fantasy, a pair of hazel eyes seemed to stare at her from the walls.

Victor. That little traitor. Reyna felt her anger stir at the mere thought of him. The next time she saw him would likely be his last, that was for sure. And while losing him as a boyfriend stung tremendously, she was happy that he had made it out alive, running like the cowardly worm he was. Undoubtedly, this would not be the last time they saw each other, and she wanted to be in top shape the next time they did come face-to-face to best exact her revenge. But still, memories of their time together clouded her mind, and her heart felt heavy in her chest. Now that she knew that he had been lying the entire time, Reyna felt completely betrayed and abandoned, worse than when Hylla had left to join the Amazons, worse than when Jason had left her. Although she was no stranger to heartbreak, this was an all new level of heartache, and Reyna lay awake for several more hours, thinking hard about who Victor really was, hoping to ease the pain in her chest.

The blatant dishonesty was sickening, and as she thought about the real Victor Sage, Reyna felt herself more grateful that nothing more had happened between them outside of a few minor kisses; Thank the gods Reyna was a slow-mover, otherwise she could be having even more levels of regret. His true colors proved him to be one of the most vile sort of people, and the more logically she thought about it, the more Reyna was able to come to accept it. Acceptance definitely made it easier for her heart to bear the heavy load, as well to continue to fight on afterwards. Still, his falsely sweet gestures were like rain in the desert of her heart, and now it seemed like there would be a drought. She thought back to all the moments they had shared together, and now in her mind, branded each one as a lie and only a motive for him to destroy her. Labeling things made it slightly easier to recognize them as malevolence rather than affection, and after a couple more hours sorting her feelings, Reyna felt presentable enough to go out into the main room. Besides the pain her heart, the gnawing in her stomach was getting painful.

Stumbling out into the hallway, the first thing Reyna saw was her two dogs running towards her. Stopping just before they collided, Aurum and Argentum both approached her slowly as she reached out her hands for them. They both nuzzled her affectionately, and proceeded to walk on either side of her as she made her to the open room like the menacing guard dogs they were. As she stepped into the room, Reyna was slightly relieved and disappointed that Leo wasn't there. Stefano chirped brightly at her entrance, and swooped down to land on her arm. Reyna smiled at the metallic canary and gently stroked his head before he flew off to gods-know-where. Walking up to the dining table, Reyna bent low and whispered for a bowl of chicken tortilla soup. When the steaming dish appeared, Reyna started to take up the bowl to go back to her room.

"Reyna!"

Reyna started, spilling a bit of the hot liquid onto her hand. Cursing under her breath, Reyna carefully setting the bowl down and turned to see Leo rapidly coming towards her. He stopped before he got to close, looked at her for a moment, and pulled out one of the chairs for her to sit it. Reyna was too tired to protest, so she gratefully sank into the comfy fabric. Picking up a golden spoon, Reyna began to eat, partially because she was famished and partially because she didn't really want to talk about Hawaii. Fortunately for her, Leo seemed to know she didn't want to talk, but nonetheless joined her for a peaceful, silent breakfast. Or, at least she thought it was breakfast.

"Leo," she began. He looked up promptly. "What time is it?"

"Almost five o'clock in the evening," he said with a slight smile. "And we've been out of - there- for two days."

Reyna slapped her forehead. "I've been out for two days?" she moaned into her hands.

Leo gave a low chuckle. "Pretty much, but it's good to see you up and about. You had a lot of healing to do." Reyna stiffened at his implications. "Meaning your stomach needed to repair itself, thanks to that magical wine you just happened to have." he quickly amended.

Reyna relaxed again at his clever avoidance, and gingerly touched her stomach. Leo looked concerned. "Does it still hurt?" he asked, quickly tapping the plate twice.

"No, it's just a little tender." Reyna answered, as she watched nectar and ambrosia appear before her eyes. She accepted the godly food and drank a bit of the nectar, feeling better as the warm liquid moistened her parched throat. _Mmmm, tastes like my father's lemonade, _she thought happily closing her eyes to fully appreciate the delicious drink.

"Really? That's neat! Whenever I drink it, usually tastes like my mom's horchata." Reyna's eyes snapped open.

"Did I say that out loud?" Leo laughed and nodded in reply. Reyna felt her cheeks color slightly at the little slip.

"Hey, don't worry about it _reina_, we all have little things that remind of us our families." Leo said with a sad look in his eyes. Reyna remembered the picture of baby Leo and his mother that she saw. She felt the overwhelming need to make him feel better.

"Your mother seems like she was an amazing person." she said quietly. Leo smiled distantly at her, his hands folded on the table. "And she's very beautiful, and seemed so strong and clever."

Leo's head shot up. "How do you…" he trailed off as his hand slid to one of his pockets. "Ah, yes, I forgot I lent you this." he muttered.

Reyna nodded gently and didn't say anything else. Leo looked at her for a moment or two before bringing out the watch and opening it, staring at the little portrait. "Her name was Esperanza." he whispered, pain in his voice.

Since he was sitting rather close to her, Reyna put her hand over his, praying he wouldn't reject her. To her immense relief and happiness, he not only allowed her to hold his hand, but he returned the gesture, gripping onto her hand like he never wanted her to let go. They both sat there in silence for sometime before Reyna spoke again.

"Enrique." she said, the name sounding old and unused on her tongue, but nonetheless cherished. Leo looked at her with chocolate brown eyes, waiting for her to elaborate. "That was my father's name. He died when I was six… he was… protecting me and Hylla from some stupid drug lords, and he was..." she didn't finish.

"He seems like one of the best of men," Leo said thoughtfully, continuing to hold her hand and giving a comforting squeeze. Reyna nodded compliantly. They continued to sit in a comfortable silence, holding each other's hands and taking comfort in one another until a loud chirp brought them to their senses.

Leo shook his head and let go of Reyna's hand; she instantly missed his steady warmth. Standing up, he walked over to where Stefano was perched. "I'm coming, I'm coming."

Reyna watched as he fed the canary some tiny shards of glass that sparkled in the setting sun, casting little rainbow light patterns all over the ceiling. Watching the happy scene before her brought a sense of peace that helped ease the pain of her tender skin and heart, and a content smile graced her face.

Leo turned from a ravenous Stefano to see Reyna smiling; Not just any smile, it was one of sincere gratitude and contentment. Leo felt his heart leap at the sight of her sitting so serenely, and he grinned lazily back at her, shoving his hands into his pockets before moving towards the helm. Spinning a couple of dials and shaking the Wii remote once, Leo once again checked their coordinates, tapping his fingers rhythmically against the dashboard, feeling Reyna's eyes on him, not sure of whether he liked it or not. Several more minutes passed in a comfortable silence.

"Leo?" Gods, he loved hearing his name from her. Whenever she had made the transition from _Valdez _to _Leo_, he didn't notice as much as he did feel it. But the way she said it… he felt his heart beat slightly faster.

"Yes?" he responded.

"The shard?" Leo felt himself fall back from the slight high; she wanted to stay focused on the mission. Typical. He sighed and reached into his toolbelt, calling for the shard. He felt the cool glass-like texture press into his palm as he whirled around to face her again and almost fell over. She was reclining on the couch, her clothes sliding over glorious curves, long raven hair slightly splayed out, as her deep onyx eyes flickered intoxicatingly in the last rays of the setting sun. _More beautiful than Aphrodite, _thought Leo, his breath leaving him for a moment as she raised an eyebrow at him. In an almost dream-like trance, he moved forward and placed the tiny object into her palm; the brief contact with her skin sent shivers up Leo's arm, and he quickly retreated to a chair nearby, hoping against hope that his tan skin would mask the blush spreading across his face.

Reyna studied the shard; It was small, about the size of a butter knife with wickedly sharp edges all around. Two of the planes were smoothly jagged: a hint of the other pieces that were torn off. The shard was cold and gave no heat; in fact, it seemed to suck in Reyna's body heat, leaving her colder than before. But the physical aspects did little to cover the mystic power behind it, and Reyna could feel the pure power radiating off of it.

Still observing the piece, she turned it over and over in her hands, and asked a question, still focused on the piece she held in her hands. "So where to next?"

"Not a clue," Leo answered in a deep and quiet voice.

"I'm thinking we should head south; We're already nearby, and there seem to be some storms coming up on the east, so it would probably be the safest option. What do you think?" she absentmindedly said, not paying attention to his absent response.

Looking up from her examination and setting the shard on a nearby table, she was surprised to see Leo staring at her. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and Reyna felt her heart start to race as she noticed he was fixated on her face, his chocolate eyes completely focused on her… or more specifically, her lips. He seemed to be trying to memorize her face, but judging by the way his eyebrows scrunched in frustration, it wasn't working. Heat exploded across Reyna's face as he stood up and came closer, almost as though he didn't have any control over his limbs; his unmoving gaze was still on her. He kneeled beside where she lay, eyes swimming with desire; Reyna could feel skin start to tingle as he tentatively raised a hand and rested it on her cheek; his palm was warm, the callouses on his hand caressing her face in the most gentle yet seductive manner that Reyna had ever known, and it sent a new kind of fire racing through her veins as his skin touched hers. She could smell his smoky scent in his close proximity and she felt her heart rate triple.

"Reyna…", he said huskily, never moving his gaze from hers.

"L-Leo?" she stuttered slightly, noting with pleasure at the way his eyes darkened when she said his name. He moved slightly forward, their faces coming closer; Reyna's eyes fluttered shut in anticipation.

Leo watched eagerly as her eyes shut, her tempting mouth slightly open; He wanted to kiss her _so _badly, every nerve in his body was crying out to claim her lips. But as he came closer and his breath intermingled with hers, the most awful thoughts swam to the front of his mind: Was he a rebound from Victor? Was he _her second choice_? Was she only kissing him to get over her own pain? These wretched thoughts broke through his lustful haze, and all of his bravado was gone. With a groan of frustration, Leo stood up quickly and walked away from the couch as fast as he could.

"I'm going to my room." he yelled, slamming the door and flopping down on his bed. He ran his fingers through his curly black hair irritatedly, and buried his face in his hands, mostly upset that he hadn't kissed her, but also wondering if he had just saved himself from getting hurt in the end. Gods, he had wanted to kiss her, to feel her; And that stupid ginger _cabron_ was intruding again! Rolling over in his bed, Leo shut his eyes and tried to sleep, but to no avail. It would be a long, sleepless night again, with a new pair of beautiful dark eyes plaguing his dreams and his heart; always reaching, never obtaining.

**Ooh, that was a bit of steam wasn't it? Anyways, at the request of one of my viewers, I now give you a quick translation for all of the spanish in the chapter:**

**Donde estas- Where are you?**

**Estoy aqui- I am here**

**_Mis hijas, i que lindas eres ! Su madre está orgulloso de los dos, y estoy tambien_**** - ****_My daughters, you are so beautiful! Your mother is proud of you, and so am I._**

**Cabron- Bastard**

**Well, that was a nice little cultural lesson, wasn't it? And now I eagerly await your reviews as the storm rages outside, and next time, we will get a little surprise visitor... And no, it's not Victor. Gosh, I wouldn't want to see him again!**


	17. Chapter 17

**I'm sorry! I've really tried to update frequently, but I'm afraid that my life has had other plans; I've been swept away by the tide of the final pressures and stresses of senior year! I write this now because, as it has shown this week, I hope that I can update on a somewhat regular basis, but now it is incredibly difficult to find time to write, and I don't want to just send off what I can write quickly; I'd much rather have a much more impressive finished product. Therefore, I hope that I can try to update once a week from now on, and once I hit mid-April, I will probably be able to update more often. Once again, I'm terribly sorry!**

**And now, I invite to relax as we dive into the next chapter, and please review! Enjoy!**

**UPDATE: Sorry for the false alarm, Fanfiction really kind of messed up the format, and I had to quickly fix it. Now Enjoy!**

Chapter 17

Reyna still sat on the couch, lips slightly parted, and barely aware of her surroundings. She didn't fully register what had happened until after the door slammed shut, and the chilly draft of rejection stung her skin. Well, that was unexpected, she mused, carefully picking up the shard once again and running her hands over the smooth surface, hoping that she could possibly decode the mysterious piece by touching it.

Touching… how Reyna had longed to touch, to feel! Leo's sudden closeness had been intoxicating; she could still feel her head swimming from his smoky musk, the place where his hand had rested still tingled. Reyna let out an annoyed huff; Why did he put her through that form of torment only to pull away? He had seemed like… he was going to kiss her… and how she had wanted to feel his lips on hers. Oh yes, there was no doubt that her brief fluttering feelings had developed into something more, more of a crush than before. Reyna mentally slapped herself; She had only been single for a couple days, and she was already falling for another guy! To be fair, Victor's betrayal still stung, but her careful mental cleansing had done it's trick: she had analysed each time they were together and reminded her happy memories that they were nothing but lies, clothed in affection and kisses, worth nothing since there was no actual love. Upon further reflection, Reyna had emotionally distanced herself from Victor, and her ability to sever any emotional ties was now extremely valued, since it made the pain in her heart lessen considerably.

But now, a new sensation was working its way into her heart: a growing affection for Leo. His dark eyes, his steady body heat, his smell, his impish grin… all of it seemed determined to impress itself upon Reyna, who all but completely succumbed to it. But he had obviously had second thoughts, because he had pulled away faster than Annabeth from spiders. Now that he was locked away in his room, Reyna wandered down the steps towards her dogs and spent a good couple of hours playing with them: From fetch to wrestling, she had a great time with her hounds, especially enjoying how Stefano had flown down to watch and gave encouraging little tweets from time to time as the praetor and her dogs raced back and forth on the floor, laughing and romping around, and generally having a good time. It was also a great form of distraction as her mind bounced back and forth between Leo and the shard. His eyes are so beautiful… I wonder where we'll land next?... He's so tall… Is there some way we can tape the damn thing back together?... Maybe he likes lemonade?... This "piece" was roughly the size of a small slice of pizza… Yes, it was better to be distracted. After a long playdate, Reyna headed back to her room and then the bathroom for a long hot shower, praying desperately that Leo was fast asleep and wouldn't pay her any attention; she had a nasty habit of eating sugar after a shower, and she was not about to turn down some much needed solitude.

Meanwhile, Leo tossed and turned, vainly trying to sleep; sleep was an excellent distraction from reality, and right now he wanted to succumb to the sweet relief of unconsciousness. It's only five-thirty, his mind logically said, while his emotions fought within him, screaming for escape. Finally, after an hour of wriggling around, Leo felt the most overwhelming heaviness overtake his body, and without even having to think about it, closed his eyes and fell asleep, hoping he wouldn't dream at all. But as a demigod, this was an impossibility.

Leo knew the instant he opened his dream-eyes that he was in for something: whether it be a god or a prophetic dream, this wasn't going to be pleasant. But as his surroundings became more clear, he realised where he was: His dad's workshop. Glancing around at the various mechanical items strewn over the place and the large furnace that occupied most of the back wall, Leo was surprised to see the absence of his unsightly father, bracing himself against his unpleasant visage. Somewhat annoyed at being shown nothing at all, Leo called out into the dream, "Uh Dad? Hephaestus? Fur face?" he tried.

A musical laugh echoed through the room; Leo instantly felt himself relax at the sound of the siren-like voice. "None of the above, dear Leo."

And from out of nowhere, appeared the goddess of love herself. Bedecked in a stylish pair of designer jeans and a very flattering white blouse, Aphrodite looked the part of the loving wife, complete with a quaint baby-blue bandana in her gorgeous hair; Leo knew that this was far from the truth, and was instantly on guard. Her love powers were intoxicating: Her hair rapidly changed from blonde to cinnamon brown to dark black curls, and her eyes changed like a kaleidoscope: First blue, then brown, then green… Just like Piper's eyes. Yes, Leo was able to focus now that he was able to find something familiar, something that couldn't completely romantically sway him. But he still found it hard to swallow as he took a slight bow. "Lady Aphrodite."

Aphrodite laughed, her now red-haired locks bouncing daintly. "Oh, no need to be so formal! I'm not like grungy-old dad; although by the way you casually called him 'fur face', I'm thinking you aren't as uptight around him either." Leo's blush was a confirmation of this; That, and he had just seen Reyna's face appear for a brief second. "Now now, let's talk about why I'm here, and why Hephaestus has been hoarding this clever little device from me for so long, he usually gives me what I want. Pity, I would have loved using this in earlier years"

Leo snapped out of his trance slightly as her eyes became more blue, and was able to reply, "Maybe because you cheat on him regularly." He may not be all for his dad, but he felt the need to defend his father from a woman who continued to break his heart.

The goddess waved a hand impatiently. "Because he hasn't had his share of mortal affairs," she countered, looking directly at Leo.

He nodded. "Touche."

Giving a dazzling smile, Aphrodite now sat in Hephaestus' chair, making it go from a drabby shop stool to a queen's throne in less than a second. "I have my moments," she said airily, taking out a mirror and dabbing the side of her lip gently; Leo saw no flaws, but she obviously saw something, because she brought out some lipstick and quickly reapplied. "But as much I matter, I think there is something else now who we need to talk about." she mildly said, shutting her little clutch and looking at him with raised perfectly-shaped eyebrows.

"Uhhh, the quest?" Leo tried, hoping to distract Aphrodite. It proved to be in vain as she waved her dainty hand.

"No, no. Not this silly quest; Quests are dull and unexciting, so much boring battle stuff! As if that is really the important matter here." she scoffed. "But yours...yours is quite interesting and exciting! You see, yours has something that we haven't seen since Percy's quest to find Annabeth: Romance!" she finished with a girlish squeal.

Leo was unable to come up with a proper response, so he chose to stand there in awkward silence, blushing profusely. Aphrodite took this as a cue to continue. "Oh dear, don't be so surprised Leo, you've known you had those feelings! Don't you dare deny it!" she said seriously, pointing a perfectly manicured nail at him in a mock-threatening manner. "Denial never gets you anywhere, dear, you simply must accept it." Silence from Leo. "Leo Valdez, tell me the truth."

Her charm-speak washed over him, his muscles relaxing, and without even thinking about it, opened his mouth: "I like Reyna."

Only when Aphrodite's high-pitched giggles and squeals echoed throughout the workshop did Leo realize the magnitude of what he had said: He liked Reyna. Oh gods, this was bad.

"No!" he shouted; Aphrodite promptly shut her perfect mouth. "I-I don't like her. At least, not like that. I mean, she's really nice and all, but I'm just… Calypso." he finished miserably. Instantly, an expression of sympathy spread across Aphrodite's face, and she looked at him with doe-like eyes.

"Oh Leo, I do hope you can forgive her. She had no idea, and she's used to disappointments."

"She's not the only one," Leo muttered.

"But you should know what happened to her… after…" Leo looked up suddenly. "Well, the poor girl was obviously distraught," said the goddess, immensely enjoying the little gossip session, "But her new male companion has comforted her. In fact," she faltered, looking straight at Leo before picking at an invisible thread on her blouse. "He chose to stay." she said quietly.

Leo felt like he had been hit with a sledgehammer. Calypso- she had not only gotten over him so quickly, but even after their heart-breaking meeting, she found new love. A permanent love.

"In a way," said Aphrodite in a more confident voice, "You did help her break her curse. Just not in the way you expected it." Leo nodded numbly. Her voice grew stronger. "But the past is the past Leo! You have a wonderful, now-single woman on board and you haven't told her how you feel! Oh, such drama!"

Still slightly reeling, Leo just decided to let the goddess keep talking until he could wake up. But before she could continue, a deep, gruff voice echoed nearby: " 'Phrodite! Where are you at?"

"Oh dear, that'll be him," sighed Aphrodite and quickly dusting some imaginary dirt off of her shoulder. "Anyways my dear young demigod, I hope you are grateful that I've taken particular interest in your love life, and oh yes, it will be so interesting! Full of drama! Ooh, I can't wait! But before I forget, when Reyna said you should travel south: she is right. There are some horrid storms around the east right now, not remotely romantic. May I suggest you try Cape Horn in Chile? It's so pretty this time of year!"

The workshop door flew open, and Aphrodite blew Leo a kiss before cutting the transmission. Leo stood there in dream-mode for a bit, digesting what the goddess of love had just told him before he finally was able to surface into reality once again: He knew he was back in consciousness when he woke to a groggy, pounding head and dry throat. As he wriggled around in the covers, he knew that despite all of the embarrassing talk about Reyna, he at least had a definite location to search for the next clue.

Staggering out of bed, Leo opened his door and walked sleepily into the main room to grab some water, only to find the biggest surprise he's ever had. "Dios Mio!" he muttered.

Standing in the kitchen in nothing but a bra and some very very short-shorts was Reyna, hair still wet from a shower and looking like she had not expected Leo at all. Before he could stop himself, Leo raked his eyes over her exposed form: Long tan legs, killer curves, and skin that was still slightly steaming. His breath grew harsh at the sight of her chest, with it's teasing curves and the accursed piece of fabric that held everything in place; Gods he was in hell! A hell that burned with seductive fire, but oh, how he wanted to burn! It was her small gasp that finally tore his eyes away from her luscious body and to her face; She was the brightest shade of pink he'd ever seen, and her dark eyes were filled with mortification, her tempting lips parted in an 'o'. Leo instantly felt himself turn red.

"Uh, I- I…." His hair caught on fire. "I-" His hands were smoking and he started to back away. "I'm gonna-" Leo slapped a hand over his eyes and fled the room, his body fully aflame.

The praetor stood there in her undergarments, not fully registering what had just happened, even while seeing a flaming Leo run away. As the smoke lingered behind, Reyna heard his door slam and she instantly sank down into the chair, completely astonished that she could've been caught so off guard. The jellybeans that she was eating tasted like sawdust now, and she quickly scurried back to her room to put on some decent attire. Dear gods, how were they going to work together after this? She wouldn't even be able to look him in the eye now! Reyna slipped on the most modest outfit she had brought: a baggy t-shirt and some old worn jeans. Then gathering her courage and quickly praying to Venus, Reyna nervously walked out into the hallway and made her way up to Leo's unique door. Taking a deep breath, she knocked twice.

**Oooh a little bit of steam again! And now we know where we're going! I know this was a bit short, but like I've said, I'm pretty busy. But I solemnly swear that I will write you a nice LONG chapter as a make-up gift. So tune in next time for our adventure to Chile, where we plunge into an ocean of uncertainty an action! Please review, mis queridos, and I will see you again!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hello hello! Well, I do hope you enjoyed that last little cliff hanger, and now, onto another chapter! Also, I have a little game for you to play: I've included the monster in this chapter, even if they don't fight it yet. So for those of you who are dying to know what they will face next, it's there, with the whole world in it's coils.**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 18

Leo had bolted from the room as fast as his feet could carry him; If Hermes had challenged him to a race, the god would be stunned at the sheer speed that the red-faced man could move. He didn't stop running until he tripped down the stairs and skidded on the bottom of the Argo II, just barely managing to avoid a collision with Reyna's dogs and everything else ( poor Stefano had instantly flown towards Leo only to suddenly reverse and nearly crash into the wall). He burst through the door of the sick bay and slammed the door shut behind him. Chest heaving, Leo sank to the floor and buried his face in his hands, the flames dying down._ Nice going, Valdez! Now how the hell are you gonna ever be able to look at her again without imagining her… like that._ If he was completely honest with himself, Leo didn't mind seeing her in that outfit at all. Nope, he certainly didn't mind seeing her lovely body; just thinking about it made his heart race and- yup, he was on fire again. Smooth. Taking a deep breath, Leo extinguished himself; Gods, he was _always_ on fire around Reyna, both literally and figuratively. He desperately tried not to think of her shiny black hair and silky skin and - Damn. Now he needed to wait again.

Meanwhile, Reyna was slightly annoyed that Leo had yet to answer his door. Of course, she had no way of knowing he was currently ablaze below deck, so she continued to pound away at his door. Finally losing her patience, Reyna opened the door and began to talk, "Leo, look we need to-"

She stopped as his room became more visible to her: Vividly-colored flames were painted around the room, a stark contrast to the black background. His bed also had black sheets and one large, fluffy comforter with the symbol for Camp Half-Blood embroidered on it. His desk sat not far away, littered with papers and half-finished projects, emitting various puffs of smoke every now and then. Walking carefully towards his workbench, Reyna was amazed by the intricate blueprints she saw covering the area, and out of curiosity, gingerly picked at the corner of one. Suddenly, there was a small 'poof' and a little mushroom cloud of smoke as a piece of paper slid out and gently floated to the floor. Reyna quickly picked it up, inspecting it for any threat; It seemed like a harmless letter. There was no name, and Reyna thought it might be for her. So she slit the seal with her nail and began to read:

_Dear Leo,_

_I've managed to get you this message through some advanced sorcery, but you won't be able to respond back. I just wanted to tell you… I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I would never, ever hurt you on purpose, but I suppose my words don't mean much to you now._

_Like you might have guessed, yes, I did fall in love with someone else. It's not as though I never loved you; I did, or at least, I thought I did. Truly, I never would've given you hope if I was only playing. Hope. What a funny word. I hoped and hoped that you would return. I assumed that the gods would be kind to me, and stop anyone else from coming here, and then I believed you would never come back. I was wrong, as usual. Not only did someone else land on Ogygia, but you returned. And I will never ever forget the expression on your face when you figured out the truth._

_I am so, so sorry for all the pain I've caused you. I'm well acquainted with heartbreak, and I can only imagine the depth of betrayal you feel. Please know that none of this was your fault, and that I hope you can fall in love with someone else someday. Perhaps the someone you saw in my mirror? You seemed to care about her very much back then, and I'm sure you haven't completely abandoned all thoughts of her. But please, Leo, do not search for me again. This is where we've parted ways, and I know that you will always be my biggest 'What if'. Know that I am happy here with Theo, son of Hermes, and that I wish for your own happiness and love in return._

_Farewell,_

_Calypso_

Reyna could hardly believe what she was reading. This was not meant for her eyes at all, and now she regretted opening the letter more than anything. This was Leo's personal problem, and she had violated his privacy. Quickly looking around, Reyna spotted a dying candle, the wax melting into a small puddle on the floor. Scooping up the scalding liquid with her bare hands, Reyna grimaced as she neatly poured the wax over the envelope, effectively sealing it once more. Then laying it down on Leo's pillow, Reyna quickly scurried from the room, closing the door behind her, and bolted to her own room, grabbing the Elixir and dabbing some of the wine onto her burnt hand. After a moment, it started to heal. There was no evidence that Reyna had read the letter now. But she had, and now her thoughts raced with what she had just read. Should she get rid of the letter? Tossing it out the window seemed like a grand idea. Leo did not need more of reasons to be upset, and Calypso was the root of it all! Yes, the letter must be destroyed.

Before she could act upon her impulse, she heard Leo's footsteps coming down the hallway. Reyna froze, her heart beating wildly, praying to any god who would listen that Leo wouldn't find out about the letter. There was a knock at the door.

"Reyna?"

No response. There came a deep sigh from Leo.

"Reyna, look, I'm sorry that I saw you like that. It's uh, your body and…" he trailed off. "I'm sorry. I had no idea you'd be out there dressed like- that." Still no response. "Reyna, please, I know you're mad at me and that you hate my guts, but come on!"

"I don't hate you." came a small voice. Leo strained to hear it again, and as he leaned closer, the door flew open, and Reyna was standing there, cheeks flushed, eyes bright, and her hair scattered. She also wore a baggy t-shirt and some old jeans, but to Leo, she looked like a million dramachas.

"Um, you don't?" Leo questioned warily, not wanting to upset her further. He saw her eyes brighten and he thought she was going to slap him. Instead, he found himself engulfed in a tight hug.

Leo froze, unsure of what to do. After a tense few seconds, he carefully placed his long arms around her, bringing her in closer. A warmth spread through both of them; For Leo, he felt his face flush but hugged her still, and for Reyna, felt the most delicious heat from Leo's body radiate through her own. A loud bang from Leo's room broke them apart.

"What the hell?" Leo said and he rushed to his room. Reyna held her breath and stood in the hallway and waited for something, anything. She waited. And waited.

The evening turned to night, and still Reyna waited. She had eaten, of course, and put Aurum and Argentum into the stable with lots of food, and fed Stefano and Festus. But still no Leo came forth. She paced across the deck, wringing her hands and thinking of all the horrible things that could be happening. There was no noise from within his cabin. Finally, she resolved to sleep on the couch and wait until the morning. Retrieving a blanket from her room, Reyna made her way over to the plush couch and curled into a ball, praying for Leo's mental and physical safety. Eventually, with the reassuring whir of Festus and Stefano's soft, chirping lullaby, Reyna drifted off to sleep.

A sudden bang woke her up in the dead of night, and Reyna was instantly on guard. Touching her ring, the now-dagger fell into her hands as she crouched behind the couch, waiting for… what?

A sooty, oil-covered Leo emerged from the halls, his clothes and body stained with grease and ashes. He walked up to Festus and the astrolabe, tapped a few keys, and walked back down the steps; Reyna knew they were landing when she felt the gears click into place and the slightest bump on the bottom of the boat. Relieved, Reyna let out a breath, then immediately cursing herself as Leo's head whipped around. Seeing her crouched with the knife, his warm brown eyes became colder than ice.

"We're here, welcome to Chile." he said in a flat, emotionless tone. Her beautiful eyes looked confused, and Leo wanted to scream at her. Don't look at me like that! It's hard to be angry with you when you look so beautiful and innocent! I know you saw it! STOP LOOKING AT ME!

He hadn't realised he had actually shouted his thoughts until he registered that she had staggered backwards, her face pale and hands shaking. Leo looked upward and took several deep breaths, trying to reign in his temper. Finally, after a long period of silence, Reyna tentatively spoke. "Leo?"

Leo collapsed on the couch and buried his hands in his face. Reyna felt her heart twist into several knots as his shoulders shook with silent sobs. Not knowing whether she should approach him or not, Reyna awkwardly stood back, hands fidgeting and desperately looking around for something, anything to help him. He still was unable to face her, and so she spoke as softly as possible, like she was trying to calm a wild beast; Right now, she wished she had Piper's charmspeak. "I'm sorry, Leo. I'm so, so sorry."

His head snapped up, eyes full of anger; Reyna took an unconscious step back. He saw her fear and instantly hated himself: Gods, there was no way she knew the depth of what had happened. He also knew that if she started to apologise, he would lose it completely. This wasn't her fault, and he was taking his pent up emotional frustration out on her. Instead, he spoke in a low voice. "Don't," he croaked, "Don't say that. I- I don't blame you. Please don't hate me." His head dropped once again. "Please."

Her heart broke; Here she had violated his privacy and he had just had his heart ripped out and he was asking her not to hate him. He obviously knew why she had hugged him earlier now, and had assumed it was about Calypso but she meant what she'd said: Reyna didn't hate Leo Valdez. Not at all.

Kneeling down to him, Reyna placed a hand on Leo's shoulder. He looked up in surprise as she brought him closer into a tight embrace. To her shock and pleasure, Leo was not as hesitant as before, and gladly drew her towards him, inhaling her sweet scent. She smelled wonderful, like a fresh summer day, with a hint of lavender that he guessed must be her shampoo. He instantly felt calmer as he held her, feeling comforted and loved, and with Reyna in his arms, for that instant, the world was at peace, and it felt so right. Her smaller body pressed against his was delightful, not necessarily in an erotic way, but more warm, and gentle, and he knew he could just sit there forever, holding her and ignoring the world, lost in her warm embrace.

Festus gave a loud creak, and they broke apart. There was no blush from either of them, but a contented warmth was felt by both. Leo gave a deep laugh and Reyna even smiled a bit.

"Well, it's almost two in the morning. We should get some sleep before we head out." Reyna nodded in agreement and stood up, taking the blanket with her.

"Leo?"

"Si?"

"How did you know to come here?" Leo's eyes popped open; Damn, how was he supposed to tell her without revealing what Aphrodite had said? She would pretty much guess that there was only one good reason the goddess of love had come to visit, and Leo wasn't ready to have that conversation with her… yet.

"Oh, uh, I had a dream, and I just had a good feeling to come here." he said more confidently than he felt, rising from the couch and taking a good long stretch. It was a good thing he was focused on not being caught lying, because otherwise he would have seen Reyna looking at his long, lean torso in approval. Shaking her head to clear herself of immodest thoughts, Reyna kept talking.

"How do we know it isn't a trap?"

"Uhhh, in the dream… Apollo told me so." he lied, hoping his voice didn't crack.

"I see." Reyna gave him a strange look before walking down the hall. "Well, I suppose I will see you in the morning to head to…"

"Cape Horn, Chile." Leo recited. "According to Aph-pollo" he corrected, praying she didn't notice his blunder, "that is where we'll find… something."

Reyna nodded sleepily, and Leo thought her sleep face was probably the most adorable thing ever. "Very well then. I'll see you in the morning. _Buenas Noches_, Leo." she said, walking down the hall and closing her door. She didn't see the huge, sincere smile that grew on Leo's face.

"_Buenas Noches, querida_."

Leo kept smiling goofily for a while until Festus blew some smoke in his face. Coughing, Leo fanned away the black gas and gave a surprised look to the dragon, who raised part of his mechanical eyebrows as if to say: Dude, you've got it so bad!

"Oh, shut up," Leo said with a slight blush and he gave a playful shove to the masthead, who whirred and squeaked with mechanical laughter. Turning to the astrolabe, Leo absentmindedly typed in a few different locations to see what came up. Several romantic restaurants came up, including one named _La Proa de Cupido_, Cupid's bow._ Nah, too cheesy_. Leo thought to himself, before searching around Cape Horn until he felt reality hit him hard: He was planning a date. With Reyna. Who hadn't even agreed to it. Why in Zeus' name was he doing this when they had a deadly quest to focus on? Leo clenched his fist; He couldn't catch a break anywhere, could he? Scrolling down a bit, Leo came to a place called_ Jörmungandr: Nunca déjalo ir._

Whatever the first word was (Leo had never heard it before), but the phrase "Never Let Go" caught his attention. Intrigued, he tapped on the link and was brought to their homepage; A large sea serpent hung on the sign in front of an old, worn down fishing shack on the edge of an abandoned town. Tapping the coordinates into the astrolabe, Leo zoomed out and in around the area; the whole place screamed desolation and danger, with the large, murky ocean out in the back, dark shadows falling over the water so that Leo couldn't completely tell whether his imagination was playing tricks on him when he saw several large, round shadows that looked horribly like sea serpents. Danger, doom, and despair. Yep, this was it. How romantic.

Sighing loudly, Leo switched off the astrolabe and turned and went to his room, pausing in the doorway as he once again glanced at the horrid little piece of paper that bore Calypso's writing. She had sounded repentant, and at the same time, a bit bitter. Leo's aching heart didn't ache nearly as much anymore; He had spent along time thinking about that letter, and he knew that as much as he had once loved Calypso, she was right; They had parted ways, and now, Leo thought to himself as he gathered up the letter and walked out into the main room, he was going to only remember one part of the letter: _You seemed to care about her very much back then, and I'm sure you haven't completely abandoned all thoughts of her._

_Yes, Calypso, you're right._ Leo thought with a wry smile, remembering the goddess' initial jealousy toward Reyna when they had seen her all those years ago, even though he hadn't liked her at all then. But she had foretold something: Leo did care about Reyna very much, and he knew that if he wanted even a chance at winning her heart, he would have to let go of the past, and Calypso.

With a final breath, Leo tossed the letter into the fire and watched it burn and curl into ashes, billowing black smoke upwards and out of the ship and out of his life forever.

**And that's the last of Calypso! No more pining, which means our dear McShizzle is going to try to woo the lovely Praetor! Let's see how that will work out for him, especially since Leo's having some more trouble controlling his combustion rate. Anyways, please read and review; I do love responding to them, and I will see you all again next week!**

**Querida- Darling  
**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hello! Sorry I haven't updated, college admissions have consumed my life, as well as my other extracurricular activities, and I couldn't find the time to write this week. Also, I noticed a distinct drop in the number of reviews I received in Chapter 18. Was there something wrong? Did I miss something that upset you?**

**If you don't know, reviews are extremely important to me, and I always do my best to respond to everyone when I have the time. Also, reviews keep me motivated to keep posting, especially since it was a review that reminded me to update. Dear readers, if you enjoy it, even a small "That was (Insert adjective)" would be great!**

**Now, enjoy!**

Chapter 19

Reyna woke the next day to a deliciously nostalgic smell; for an instant she thought she was back in San Juan. Stretching as she woke up, Reyna dressed quickly as her mouth watered from what promised to be a wonderful breakfast, shoving her dark blue t-shirt over her head and racing out the door and down the hall to a most pleasant sight: Leo Valdez in a clean black shirt proudly standing over two pupusas.

"Pupusas?" she said with a small smile. "I haven't had these since I was a little kid!" she exclaimed, sitting down and promptly taking a bite of the nostalgic meal, her mouth and mind flooding with all sorts of memories.

Leo gave her his signature smile and said, "Anything for you, reina." as he sat down as well. Reyna looked up from her food and frowned; Leo was instantly self-conscious, and he had to remind himself to breathe and not show just how uncomfortable she was making him.

"Leo, smile." Reyna said suddenly.

Leo gave her a cheeky grin. Reyna's eyebrows raised and she stared at him in disbelief.

"You have dimples." she murmured.

Leo burst out laughing at her statement; was this really what she had been staring at? Clutching his sides, Leo's eyes twinkled as he looked at his queen. "Sure do, babe." he said with another impish smile.

Reyna rolled her eyes and kept eating her pupusa. Leo couldn't stop smiling like an idiot as she ate, not even noticing his gaze on her. Gods, she was just so amazing, he could stare at her forever and be completely content. It was this train of thought that caused Festus to give a loud bang and blow dark smoke in Leo's face.

"Gah! Festus!" Leo coughed, racing over to the automaton and throwing some switches while Stefano chirp-laughed in the background. Leo glared at his two machines, who had obviously been conspiring against him in his quest to woo Reyna. This theory was only confirmed when said mechanical canary flew over to said praetor and snuggled up on her shoulder, looking deceptively innocent. Luckily, Reyna's dogs seemed oblivious to the convoluted plan, and Leo didn't receive any death growls from the metallic hounds.

Sending one last death glare to his dragon, Leo rejoined Reyna for breakfast and soon finished, retreating to his room to gather the necessary supplied for today's outing. Upon returning, he was glad to see Reyna already waiting for him, and tried to ignore the way his heart skipped a beat at the sight of her.

"Shall we, mi reina?" he said with a ridiculous bow. Reyna chuckled and walked out of the door, Leo happily following behind. As the bright, tropical sun shone around the area, Reyna was surprised by where he had chosen to land: A remote fishing village with almost zero signs of life, until a young boy darted into the dirt walkway and disappeared into a nearby alley. The two demigods walked down the dusty path and through the village, seeing only a few men and women, backs bent with heavy loads of branches and various materials.

The villagers continued to trudge up the path towards the pair, their faces lined with age, worry, and stress. A few small, brown children scurried around the edges of some lean-to tents and the shabby, decaying buildings, dressed in some rags and covered entirely in dirt and filth. Upon seeing the two well-dressed adults, the children flocked toward them with hands outstretched, crying out and wailing, "Ayúdanos, por favor, ayúdanos! Dame dinero! Necesito dinero!"

Reyna's heart broke at the sight of the poor population, wanting nothing more than to help them in some way, any way. But they had a mission to accomplish, and if this village even had a chance to survive, they would need to get this piece. Gently disengaging herself from the grabbing hands, Reyna walked quickly to the other side, taking deep breaths and trying not to cry. She turned and saw Leo desperately trying to appease the children by summoning coins from his belt, even though they would need it later for much more deadly reasons. Looking into Leo's sad brown eyes, she saw her own grief reflected, and she lifted her head to the sky and muttered a prayer in latin for prosperity and protection for this village.

"Scio quid dicas" came a small voice. I know what you are saying, Reyna translated in her head. Whirling around, she looked downward to see innocent dark blue eyes staring back at her. There stood a lovely little girl, no older than six, clutching a loved and well-worn straw doll in her grubby hands, looking up at Reyna in wonder.

"How did you…" Reyna trailed off in Latin. The girl giggled, and the shiny black curls on her head bounced up and down. She was exquisitely beautiful, with tan skin and dark hair that gave an amazingly exotic look with her navy eyes; her dark skin glowed with youth and energy.

"I don't know." she said in a sweet voice, smiling upwards. "I just can." Reyna kneeled down to eye level with the small girl.

"Where are your parents?"

"My father died when I was a baby, and my mother hasn't come back from her fishing trip yet." she said innocently. Reyna's head spun; This was a young Roman demigod, and from the looks of it, she was already on her own, even if she didn't know it. Leo had wandered over, and as she know squatted and thought deeply about this little girl, the son of Hephaestus was already talking with her in rapid spanish. After a few minutes of listening, Reyna was able to piece together her story: Her father, Inti, had "died" and her mother had searched desperately for jobs and ways to survive. A couple of weeks ago, her mother was lured to an abandoned and "haunted" fishing shack with the promise of a waitress job and a home for them. She had not yet returned. Reyna hesitantly reached out and touched the little girl's shoulder, hoping that Leo's sad expression was not mirrored on her own face.

"Can you show me where this place is?" she asked. The girl nodded happily and skipped down a narrow and overgrown path, happily humming a sweet little tune. With heavy hearts, the two demigods followed. In English, Reyna told Leo her thoughts, to which he nodded gravely.

"Inti, God of the sun." murmured Reyna. A daughter of Apollo was currently skipping ahead of them, singing a bright little melody and blissfully unaware that her mother had fallen prey to the monster that guarded the next piece of the shard. After a few minutes in silence, the child finally stopped and turned to face the two older people.

"Here we are," she told Reyna. Leo kneeled down and ruffled her dark curls.

"Gracias mija. Como te llamas?"

"Evangeline, señor."

"Evangeline, we're gonna go look for your mother. But when we come back into the village, I'd like to speak with you." Evangeline nodded and turned to go. "Wait!" cried Reyna. Fishing around in her pocket for a moment, Reyna pulled out a small golden coin and gave it to the girl, who held it with big eyes. "If we don't come back before sunset, I want you to hold this coin and say 'tollite me domum'. You will appear in some green fields, and you must walk toward where the sun is setting, then cross the bridge over the river. Ask for Praetor Frank and tell him that Reyna sent you, okay?"

Evangeline nodded and put the coin into the pocket of her tattered dress before turning around and heading back up toward the village. Reyna felt Leo's eyes on her as she stood up,

"Where did you get that coin?" he asked suspiciously.

"Jason gave it to me before we left, in case of an emergency, it would take the holder back to New Rome." she said coldly, hating the way his eyes were full of distrust.

"Glad to know he cares." Leo said flatly before turning and walking down the path, his hands in his pockets. Reyna gave a small groan of frustration and trailed behind him. What was his problem? Did he really think she would abandon him? Especially now? I'm never abandoning him, and he's just going to have to deal with that.

Meanwhile, Leo had stopped up ahead and she nearly ran into him. Annoyed, Reyna glanced around his shoulders. Her eyes widened at the desolate shack ahead of them. A small edifice, roughly the size of a garden shed, barely stood erect as the look and smell of decay assaulted their senses. Cobwebs hung like streamers down the rafters as the light shifted eerily around the entire building; Even though it was the middle of the day, the shack radiated darkness and magic; Reyna could feel her demigod senses screaming Run!

"Well, this is it." Leo said, sounding way more confident than he felt. He reached up a long arm and knocked the dust off of a sign on the outside to reveal the words he had read on the astrolabe: Jörmungandr: Nunca déjalo ir.

"Never let go." Reyna murmured beside him. Leo felt his head spin at her intoxicating closeness, and he shook his head to clear his thoughts; He would need to keep his wits about him, something that seemed near impossible with Reyna near him. Over the prevalent smell of desolation and abandonment, her lavender shampoo tickled his nose and he took a deep breath, feeling himself becoming more comfortable with the pleasant scent.

"Have you ever heard of that name?" Reyna asked, snapping Leo from his thoughts.

"Er, no. Do you?" he said stupidly, hoping he didn't sound as spacey as he was.

"Can I help you two?" came a creepy yet pleasant voice. Both demigods jumped and whirled around to find a hunched, aging old woman. She gave them both a snaggle-toothed smile at their startled faces.

"Yes, actually." said Reyna, composing herself and straightening her ring. "I'm here to look for a job." She was glad Leo was a good actor, because he started to raise his eyebrows and the quickly turned it into an expression of polite concern. "I went to the United States but I came back because my father died. He worked here to, and I came to take over his job."

The old woman gave a dry, decrepit laugh; Leo noted how well the lady seemed to fit with the decaying building behind her; The boards were even jagged like her one tooth. "Of course, my dear. Call me Thökk."

"Reyna. Your name isThökk? That's not Chilean." Reyna said as she started to walk into the building, ignoring the blood splatters up the wall.

"No dear, it's Norwegian." said Thökk as she hobbled in before Reyna. "But that's alright, because you are obviously not Chilean either, daughter of Bellona."

Reyna and Leo froze as the old woman's back gave a resounding crunch, and her elderly body seemed to disintegrate. Another loud crack, and there now stood a tall, glowing man with a mischievous face and a curling beard.

"Really, Reyna, if you had wanted to play the part, you would've at least spoken some Spanish." the man drawled, shoving them toward a large door on the other side of the building. "Also, your friend needs to work on his poker face, those eyebrows gave him away like nothing else."

Leo's hands burst into flames, Reyna drew her dagger. The man shook his head and waved his hand. "Now now, it's not me you want to fight dearies."

A loud roar shook the entire shack and the building almost collapsed upon itself; Reyna almost fell into the dark room that looked horribly like a crypt. The man gave a sinister laugh.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Loki, god of mischief, and my son, Jörmungandr is rather hungry; He hasn't eaten for a couple of weeks, and you two will have to satiate him for now."

And with one final, resounding laugh, Loki bounded forward and shoved the heroes into the darkness.

**Sorry that cliffhangers are kind of my thing, but I do love leaving the possibilities open. Anyways, please read and review, and I will see you next week my dears!  
**


	20. Chapter 20

**Salutations my readers! I know it was a bit cruel of me to leave you guys on a cliffhanger, but I found some time to write this week (meaning this was written around three in the morning, but I've edited so it doesn't sound so... sleepy) and decided to post earlier! So here you go, my dears, enjoy!**

Chapter 20

As Leo fell into the abyss, he thought only two things:

_1. So this is what Jason feels like when he's going all Superman._

_2. Well, it was nice living for almost 19 years._

And those would have been his final thoughts as the icy ocean-wind sliced through his hair and chilled his bones, had it not been for Reyna. She slammed her dagger to her left, hoping against hope that there was some sort of wall… there wasn't. But there was a bit of the wooden pier that caught the tip of her knife, sending her crashing into Leo and making them both fly out of the range of an enormous mouth filled with razor sharp teeth that were easily taller than Leo. As the demigods plunged into the frigid ocean, Leo began to pump his arms upward, focusing on getting air. Reaching the surface, Leo took a deep breath, and not seeing Reyna beside him, felt his heart drop and he plunged back down into the cold surf, using his powers to provide an extremely dim light source. Leo felt something scaly brush against him, and turned in time to see only a small part of a massive torso pass beneath him. _If that was the torso, then where was the…_

Leo barely dodged the creature as the monster rammed headlong to where Leo was. By a stroke of sheer luck, the monster missed, and instead shot off into the ocean on the outside of the peer. Leo paddled over to the pillar where Reyna had stabbed her knife, the groove still evident. Panting and panicking, he gulped down air and prepared to dive when a hand grabbed him from behind. Leo was pulled back behind the pillar, ready to punch whatever had grabbed him, when he saw Reyna; blue-lipped and freezing, her dark hair plastered around her face. Leo quickly pulled her close as Loki's laughter echoed from above.

"Come now, young demigods, surely you aren't tired yet? Jörmungandr will be back, and I think he'll be a little grumpy that his food his putting up a fight, don't you?" the god laughed as a roar from the outside shook the pier. Reyna looked around desperately, trying to find some way out. She saw a patch of daylight, and silently motioned to Leo, who nodded in understanding. Using quiet strokes, the pair moved as silently as possible, trying not to stir the waters and alert the monster. Speaking of the monster, they could feel it returning to the inside of it's lair as a massive, dark shape passed beneath them; It seemed to stretch on for ages, some parts straight, others twisting and unwinding in gargantuan coils that seemed to engulf the entire ocean; there was barely any water, just this beast to fill the space. Fortunately for Leo and Reyna, the monster seemed more interested in responding to his father's calls than looking for a pair of miniscule demigods.

"No, Jörmungandr! Look for the demigods, you great fool!" The monster gave a hurt-sounding little growl; Leo fought the urge to laugh at the scolding the terrifying being was getting from his father. "Get them, you stupid serpent! They mustn't get it! You know the price; Remember the last time you were killed?" The creature roared indignantly, apparently offended at being reminded of past deaths.

Reyna tugged on Leo's arm, and with a large gulp of air, swam out from underneath the dark and dank pier. Upon surfacing, Leo's first thought was that he was never so glad to see sunlight! Looking over at Reyna, he could tell she was experiencing similar feelings, and once again, he had the overwhelming urge to kiss her. Of course, trying to kiss her with a horrifyingly large monster chasing them would probably not go over very well, so he'd do better waiting. Assuming they made it out alive, that is.

The pair swam over to a nearby rock that stuck out of the surf with jagged cuts that looked horribly like teeth marks. Reyna grasped the edge, grunting in pain when the sharp rock cut into her palms. Pulling herself up, she turned to find Leo scaling the side and leaping onto a small shelf nearby. He held out a hand to her, which she gratefully took as she swung over the side. Leo winced when he saw the blood on her hands.

"Any ideas?" he whispered, still cautious of Loki's omnipresent abilities. Reyna furrowed her brows before talking in a steady stream of thoughts.

"Loki, god of tricks and shapeshifter, often in the form of an old woman, with a son… a monstrous son…" Reyna had never so desperately wished she was a child of Minerva/Athena and just know everything. But she had read some Norse Mythology back in New Rome, and she needed to think hard if they were going to find a way out of this. And suddenly, in one horrible thought, she remembered.

"The Midgard Serpent." she said quietly, aware of the eerie lack of noise from the ocean. "It holds the whole world in it's coils," she recited, remembering the legend of the gargantuan sea serpent, large enough to wrap itself around the world multiple times.

"Oh, you're rather clever aren't you?"

Reyna and Leo jumped at Loki's snide and cutting voice; The god himself stood nearby in air, observing them with a wicked smile on his face; Reyna wanted to wipe that stupid look on his face, preferably with her knife. Leo spewed random curses in both english and spanish.

Loki shook his head and wagged his finger at Leo, like he was scolding a naughty puppy. "Tsk Tsk, tinker's son, do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" The god grinned maliciously. "Oh wait…"

Leo's face contorted with rage and he stood up to his full height; Loki smiled at the challenge.

"You-"

"Leo! He's trying to goad you! Don't give in!" Reyna pleaded, yanking Leo down once more. His eyes frightened her; The happy-go-lucky man she had come to know had been replaced by a being that radiated anger and hate. Her touch seemed to calm him though, and his face relaxed slightly.

"Ooh, she's got you on quite the leash, doesn't she?" came the drawling voice of Loki as he floated closer, his new form visible to them at last; A pair of black pants and a tight green shirt encompassed his godly body, with a large black scepter at his side that bore a crest with a large serpent twisted in on itself. His dark beard and hair twisted malevolently in the wind.

"Aww, isn't that cute? Little Leo has a crush!" he said with snide glee.

Leo turned bright, boiling red. Reyna reminded herself to breathe and that Loki was probably just making stuff up, and it didn't mean anything anyway, even if her heart jumped at Loki's words. She needed to distract him.

"Loki, god of tricks, and father to monsters. Son of…" she faltered, cursing herself for not remembering more. Loki let out a sinister laugh. The water darkened slightly behind the rocks, and a writhing form was seen coming closer and closer to the surface. Reyna gave a desperate look to Leo; the god was right. They couldn't fight him, they had to fight the serpent. Leo returned her gaze and turned towards the water once more, which now barely held the massive coils under the surface; They were almost out of time. "Son of…" The waves shifted._ Think, Reyna, Think!_ But as the water slid off of the Midgard Serpent's back, she lost all ability to think, completely paralyzed by fear.

The gargantuan snake rose of out the water, it's dark green scales glimmering in the sunlight. The head alone was twice the size of the Argo II, and two large, black eyes stared hungrily at the demigods. An uneven jaw that was full of wickedly sharp teeth with a long, writhing tongue that flickered in and out of the mouth, was littered with memories of it's old victims: There was a blue dress caught between the front teeth. The jaw of the snake as hinged outside of the mouth, allowing it to stretch it wide enough to swallow a cruise ship as it gave an earth-shaking roar. As the serpent rose higher and higher, Reyna could see it's coils unrolling in the distance; The torso before them was as thick as a skyscraper, and it plunged into the waves again and again, curling around and around and far out into the horizon. Clouds gathered overhead, and still the tendrils of scales rose higher and curled farther out. The Midgard Serpent leered at the pair, but didn't move, waiting for an order.

Loki's laugh is what brought Reyna back to reality. "Feast, my son!"

The serpent struck forward and slammed it's head into the rock; Reyna would have been dead if Leo hadn't shoved her out of the way. The rock exploded into thousands of tiny shards that fell around the water; If one of the pieces hit either of them, they'd be knocked unconscious. The serpent however, wasn't even dazed, and once again lunged at the two. Reyna gave a battle cry and launched herself towards the snake, propelling herself above the water just as it hit. Grabbing onto one of his scales, Reyna held on for dear life as the serpent swam deeper and deeper; In the murky light, Reyna could see it's body filling most of the space in the water._ It never ends, does it?_ Suddenly, the serpent lunged upwards, and she found herself desperately gasping for air as they broke surface again. The creature roared and attempted to shake off the praetor. Reyna heard her name called in the distance and couldn't respond because of how tightly she was holding on to the thrashing serpent, her muscles taut with fear and desperation. _Why had she thought this was a good idea?_

Drawing her knife, Reyna tried to stab the skin; it was like slamming her fist into a concrete wall and expecting it to break. The jolt from the unyielding scales shook her to the core, and Reyna almost slipped. Distantly, she head Leo yelling, hopefully distracting the serpent, but to no avail. The snake gave one final roar and jilted it's massive head backwards, and Reyna felt herself falling through the sky, the water approaching her fast, and Reyna knew that this was it. There was no way she could stop her deadly fall, so this must be it…

Leo watched in horror as Reyna was shaken off of the giant snake and plunged down toward the sea, and his instincts took over. Giving a loud yell, Leo grabbed onto one of the massive writhing coils and launched himself into the sky, intercepting her body before her untimely death, and together they both fell once more into the sea. Leo propelled himself along, holding tightly to Reyna's hand and threw her over his shoulder once he came to the top. He grabbed tightly to one of the more prominent scales, and quickly ascended one part of the eternal body. Once he reached the top, he laid Reyna down gently before turning and pressing his wrist, his large hammer falling once more into place.

At the sight of the hammer, the serpent visibly recoiled and hissed menacingly at Leo. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Loki pale slightly. Neither the god nor his son moved.

"Reyna," Leo whispered, "They don't like my hammer."

Reyna, still groggy, thought for a moment. There was no way they could beat this thing; It was too enormous, too strong, and even if they did manage to stun it, his father was not going to let them off the hook. Father…

"Son of Odin. Brother of Thor." Reyna said quietly. But the serpent heard her, and gnashed his terrible teeth together at the mention of Loki's brother; The loud hiss from the snake was enough to cover up Reyna's whispered plan to Leo. He blinked once in understanding and then helped her stand to her feet.

This plan was not remotely Roman; She was not facing the Midgard Serpent with her sword drawn, ready to die a noble death. Nor was it Greek, using smoke and mirrors before defeating the creature. No, this was a plan was neither camp, and it was most certainly a plan worthy of Loki, a Norse god. _Through different eyes..._

**Oh, that's another cliffhanger, isn't it? Well, I suppose we'll just have to wait and see! Tune in next time to see what happens! Also, please read and review, because reviews make me post earlier than I normally would (hence this week's chapter) and I have more motivation to write when I know that people want to keep reading. But that's all for now, and I will see you again soon!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey Guys! Wow, those were some incredible reviews! Your support means more than you know, and I am so happy to be posting this next chapter early in eager anticipation of your reactions. I will answer guest reviews at the bottom of the page, but I really encourage them to get accounts. For the longest time, I was a lurker without an account, and I just read and enjoyed; But when I got an account, and after a bit... I began to write. So you never know what could happen! Also, I'd like to be able to PM you with answers since some of you have multiple questions *cough Zae cough*, and I'd love to answer.**

**Anyways, enjoy my dears, enjoy!**

Chapter 21

Reyna stood shakily to her feet, ignoring the way the scales beneath her trembled with the massive muscles of the serpent; If she slipped into his coils, she was dead. She quickly prayed to Minerva for cunning, and hoped that this once, she could be like Annabeth.

"Thor." she repeated slightly louder, and the snake reacted the same way: It writhed the other parts of it's body and let out deafening roar, gnashing it's jaws together, which was a pretty terrifying sight (those teeth looked more and more deadly every second).

"Any particular reason you're using my brother's name, dear Reyna?" Loki said, the annoyance evident in his tone.

"Oh, none at all." she replied casually, walking to the other side of the gigantic coil, distracting the pair from where Leo was hunched over, pretending to catch his breath. "Just wondering why your son is so afraid of his uncle, that's all." Loki looked at her in mild irritation and shrugged his shoulders uncaringly.

"That's none of your business." he replied in a cool tone, twirling his long scepter between his fingers. The serpent waited, not moving, but with his attention completely on Reyna and his father.

"Well, your brother is so good looking and all, you, well…" she trailed off. Loki's right eye twitched. Reyna dared to glance over at Leo, who was still doubled over, taking gasping breaths. The storm clouds darkened overhead, and a rumble of thunder was heard in the distance.

"Do you have a death wish, child?" Loki replied quietly, the snake looked at it's father almost timidly; If this deadly beast was afraid of Loki, then what Reyna was going to do next was the equivalent of jumping into the mouth of the snake. This was looking like a better plan more and more.

"Well, if we're going to die, I'd like my last request." she stated in a matter-of-fact fashion, purposely tripping and almost falling into the sea to draw attention away from the missing Son of Hephaestus. She got up with as much dignity as she possibly could and looked Loki straight in the eye. "Can I have his autograph?"

Loki growled and his eyes darkened malevolently; Both Reyna and his son visibly recoiled. "And why on earth would you want that?" he replied evenly, but with loathing and jealousy burning in his eyes.

Reyna rolled her own. "Because he's hot!" she said, trying to picture a child of Venus as she giggled in what she hoped was a girlish manner. "Like, I've had the biggest crush on him, and you know with all those new movies coming out, and just to meet the actual Thor.." Reyna put a hand on her chest and fanned her face, taking several deep breaths to cover up Leo's snort that came from somewhere near the serpent's head.

"And what of me, child? Did you decided I was not 'hot' enough?" Loki questioned impatiently. Reyna wrinkled her nose and looked down at her shoe, mostly to avoid making eye contact with Loki's as his face contorted with rage. She let a couple minutes pass in silence before reminding herself that she needed to keep distracting him.

"Does it bother, you, Loki? That everyone loves him so much? That no matter how good your tricks are-"

"STOP TALKING YOU FOUL LITTLE CREATURE," roared Loki, turning a deep shade of purple.

"You'll always be second best." she finished, staring him square in the eye, using her Praetor glare to hold him back from strangling her. Lightning flashed overhead and a dark shadow fell across the face of the god. To her surprise, Loki grinned insanely.

"Second best? Oh my dear Reyna, I'm never second best. I'm always one step ahead of the idiots in Asgard, and now my dear, I am one step ahead of you."

Reyna's eyes widened in horror as Loki whipped out his scepter and floated over to another one of the serpent's coils where Leo was perched, trying to rig up a bomb. She tried to warn him, but no sound came out, and she could only watch as Loki raised his scepter and brought it down on the back of Leo's head as hard as possible. Reyna screamed as he viciously knocked Leo into the sea, tumbling over and over until the waves engulfed him. Reyna collapsed, sobbing. Loki jauntily walked/flew over towards her, tipping her chin up with his hand and looking into her dark eyes with a glasgow grin, his own eyes reflecting a certain amount of madness behind his pompous facade.

"Oh dear, I didn't mess up your little plan, did I? You really thought you could get the best of me? Child, I am the god of trickery; You have nothing on me."

Reyna took a shaky breath. "Nothing… but brains."

Loki's eyes widened as Leo gave a battle cry from on top of the snake's head. He had wired his hammer up toward the sky, and taken advantage of the lightning to mimic Thor, and as he cried out, he brought it down as a hard as he could on top of the serpent's head. The snake reared and thrashed in pain as the combined electricity and hammer jolted the gargantuan beast; In an attempt to rid itself of the pain that was Leo Valdez, it flung it's head forward; Leo used the momentum to launch himself at Loki, who had screamed in rage when his son was brutally smashed. But the god was too quick, and Leo found his neck between that of the god's, who gave it a threatening squeeze.

"Nice try, you little brat." Loki hissed, clenching his jaw and tightening his hands on Leo's throat. "A holographic device, very clever for a son of the Forge. Normally they aren't known for their brains, but I'd say you already know they aren't known for their looks." Leo resisted rolling his eyes; This guy just_ had_ to insult everyone.

"Do you always insult people before you kill them?" he choked out; Air was becoming limited, and it was nice having air to breathe. Loki gave a twisted smile and his eyes glinted in madness.

"No, no, I will leave your death to my son. He will enjoy feasting on your flesh, it might even be a little spicy from all that disgusting grime you wallow in. But that Praetor girl you_ love_-" Leo really wished he wouldn't blush now, especially since the rush of blood to his head made him dizzier than he was already becoming. "-I'll kill her myself. She will be a most amusing play thing, might even last longer than others, what with her _fiery_ personality." Leo's eyes grew wide with anger, and he thrashed around within Loki's fists.

"You- won't- touch her!" Leo gasped, desperately trying to stay conscious. Loki only chuckled.

"And who will stop me, young demigod?"

"That'd be me."

Loki whirled around only to see Reyna wielding the godly scepter and gladly smashing the thing into his godly face. Loki released Leo, who jumped to a nearby coil and caught Reyna as she flung herself towards him. Leo pulled a small remote from his toolbelt and pressed a single button; A distant countdown could be heard. Picking Reyna up in his arms, Leo leaped from one nearby tendril to another until they landed on the beach; Just in time, because at that moment, the hammer that was currently embedded in the serpent's head released an electric wave with twice the power of lightning through the monster. The snake thrashed and jerked, contorting itself was the electricity arced through it. Loki could only watch as his son was electrocuted before his eyes; The snake fell into the ocean with a resounding splash, causing massive tidal waves to form and begin to swallow the creature whole. Loki turned with murder in his eyes towards the young demigods, only to see them safe on the beach, where Reyna promptly raise his scepter high above her head and bring it down with a resounding smash. The thing shattered, revealing a shard the size of a small slice of pizza-

"NO!" Loki screamed, lunging toward the pair in a desperate attempt to reclaim the shard, but with deliberate malice, Leo scooped up the piece. A loud clap of thunder shook the earth, and Loki whirled around to see the most monstrous wave ever created form in the ocean; The tsunami did not break the shore, but instead stayed in the middle, gathering water until the thing could have easily swallowed the continent of South America; Leo and Reyna braced themselves for death, clinging to one another tightly- They both knew there would be no fighting this death wave. But the wave only stayed in the ocean, creating a large, swirling vortex of a gap where water should be; The giant snake began to slide toward the middle of it, being sucked into what looked like an abyss-

Loki screamed again and lunged toward his son, but before he could even attempt to help him, the wave came crashing down, carrying both Loki and his gargantuan son into an endless abyss of chaos and darkness. Even though the pair on the beach were certain that the deadly tsunami would swallow them whole, the thing easily subsided, leaving not so much as a ripple in the now calm ocean. It was almost eerie at how there seemed to be almost no oceanic activity now; The weather also cleared, with the sun shining brightly once more upon the world.

Leo and Reyna stood on the beach, holding each other, until finally Leo let out a loud whoop and hugged Reyna tighter, picking her up and spinning her around and around; In a most un-Reyna like fashion, she responded, happily cheering and pulling herself towards him as he spun her. It was only when Leo noticed at how he was holding Reyna so closely, and that she seemed to like it, is when the blushing overcame him, and he set her down promptly, ignoring the way her face was tinged a giddy shade of pink. He awkwardly cleared his throat, and Reyna glanced around, feeling as though they were being watched, and also uncomfortable with the sudden closeness and release.

Sure enough, out of the bushes, in a pair of dashing khaki shorts and a white polo, was the sun god. Apollo smiled at both of them and applauded.

"That was epic!" he shouted, hoisting his arms into the air with a victory motion; Leo snorted as Reyna raised an eyebrow, this was obviously his Greek side. "I might even compose a victory poem later! And look!" He pointed to the shard that Leo was clutching. "You're halfway there!" And then he began to sing "_Ooh, Livin' on Prayer!_" The demigods only stared; Apollo cleared his throat. "Sorry, I get caught up in past songs. But that was awesome! I'm so glad I asked Zeus to help you guys out, because that was spectacular!" He continued on like this until his form shimmered, and suddenly a more stern, muscular man was standing before them.

"I am impressed by your brave service, young demigods. But I have one more thing to ask from you: Will you take care of my daughter? Until she can go to New Rome, that is."

Reyna narrowed her eyes, as did Leo. "And why can't you do it?" she asked, pretty fed up with the irresponsibility of gods.

Apollo smiled benignly at them; "Because you two are the bravest demigods I've ever met, and I know you can protect her. Besides, she plays an important role in a later prophecy, and she needs the best teachers possible when it comes to combat and morals."

The demigods were stunned in silence; They just had a god admit to them that they could be better teachers than gods, and he wanted them to take care of Evangeline. The god smiled warmly at them, until a small voice broke the silence.

"Reyna?" The beautiful little girl crawled out from the bushes, clutching her straw doll to her chest. She noticed Apollo, who was staring at her with a look of fatherly love. _"Papa_?" she questioned timidly. Apollo knelt down, and she ran to embrace him. He stroked her hair as she questioned him in Latin, "_When is mama coming back? I thought you were dead…"_

"_Your mother has passed away_," Apollo said gently, which sent tears running down her lovely face. "_But these two will take care of you and explain everything. I love you, mija, and I love your mother. Never forget that, Evangeline. I will see you again someday, but for now, and I trust Leo and Reyna to watch over you, okay_?" The little girl glanced toward the other demigods and nodded obediently. Apollo pressed a kiss to her small forehead, and stood up.

"Take care of her," he said in English, "And I will always help you when you call."

And with a bright flash, the god of the sun had left. In the distance, the sun began to set.

**Whew, that was a fun chapter to write (Yes, I did put a Bon Jovi reference in there, teehee)! Please read and review, my dears, because it makes my day every day when I get a little message that says "New Review". **

**And now, answers for my guests!**

**Your Biggest Fan- Awww, thank you! *Blushes*. You are so sweet! Really and truly, I'm just trying to mimic RR's style of writing, because I just have a weird little idiosyncrasy about writing characters like the original author wrote it. I can't wait to hear more from you in the future!**

**Mr bubugig- Not quite Loki the Avenger, but he resemble him quite a bit.**

**arianna197- Thank you! Can't wait to hear more from you! **

**Zae Marks- Wow, that's a lot of reviews! I loved them all, but I really wish you had an account to I could respond to you then, rather than responding now, especially since your reviews made me smile! The name for the ship is Leyna, and I included Loki mostly because it just fit, nothing to do with RR. But that's not a bad idea...**

**Well, that's it! I hope to hear from you all, and I will see you sometime next week! Take care!**


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